Welcome to Miami
by Lucinders
Summary: AU: Owen Hunt, son of a hotel magnate, visits the Miami operations of his family's upscale hotel chain, to observe and learn some of the secrets of its success. Cristina is a hospitality management student, working a practicum, at the hotel for the summer. When they meet, it is a case of instant dislike on her part.
1. Chapter 1 Welcome

Owen Hunt was already sweating in his suit, when he stepped into Hotel Lockhart on Miami's South Beach. The weather in Florida was so different from London, from which he had just flown. The humidity was incredible, he thought. He couldn't wait to take that suit off and change into something light and comfortable. He silently cursed his mother for insisting that he wear a suit because it created a better impression. That suit was certainly more appropriate for the dreary London weather but not the heat and sun of Miami.

He was grateful for the air-conditioning as soon as he stepped into the lobby of Hotel Lockhart, which was going to be his home for the next two weeks. He headed straight to the front desk. There were two girls at the front desk – one Asian and the other, Latina. They were both currently busy checking in guests at the moment, so he stepped back and awaited his turn.

The Asian girl had the most amazing, curly hair he had ever seen. It was unusual, he thought, for an Asian girl to have curly hair. Usually, the ones, he had encountered in his travels, had straight hair. Her dark curly hair framed her perfectly oval face. He hoped that she would attend to him but the Latina girl was done with checking in her guests and said to him, "Good morning, sir. Are you ready to check in?"

"Yes," Owen replied, as he walked up to the front desk. He checked the girl's name-tag. "Thank you, Juanita."

"Your name, please," Juanita asked, her dark eyes sparkling. The guest was a total babe, she thought, though he did seem a little bit fair to handle the Miami sun. "Owen Hunt," he replied.

"Wow, what an accent," Juanita said. "What is it?" She checked through the computer for his name and was pleased to see that he was checked into the presidential suite. He must be a VIP, she guessed.

"Scottish," he answered.

"Ah," she said. "Lovely accent, Mr. Hunt. Do you know that Hotel Lockhart originated in Scotland? Our chairperson is Elinor Lockhart, who is from Edinburgh."

"Yes," he replied. "I am aware that this hotel has Scottish roots."

"Can I have your ID and your credit card for incidentals?" Juanita asked.

Owen handed over his identification and his credit card. Juanita checked his age on the driver's license. He was 25 years old – perfect age for someone like her. She checked his ring finger – thankfully, it was bare. She wished that Cristina, her friend working on the front desk with her, would take a look at the Scottish guest. But Cristina was too busy to notice.

Cristina, the Asian girl, was checking in a young French couple, who seemed to have a variety of questions. Cristina, who was fluent in French, was answering all of their questions in their native language. Owen was impressed at how well she was handling them. Juanita, who had failed to get Cristina's attention, noticed that her guest was glancing across at Cristina. He had done it several times during the check-in process. Damn, she thought, he likes Cristina.

"Mr. Hunt, I see you will be with us for two weeks. Business or pleasure?" Juanita asked. "A little bit of both," Owen replied, with a smile.

"I hope you are able to catch some of the beautiful sights in Miami," Juanita said, matching him with her own dazzling smile. But he missed it, as he glanced over at Cristina, again. Juanita sighed, softly and shook her head. She handed him his room key card.

"The Presidential Suite is on our very top floor. Do you need help with your luggage?" she asked. He shook his head. "That's okay. I only have one suitcase. Juanita, can you ask the concierge to come up to my room, please?" Owen asked.

"Will do," she said. "Well, thank you for choosing Hotel Lockhart and welcome to Miami." Owen took a final glance at Cristina before he left the front desk and headed to the elevator to get to his room. Juanita waited for Cristina to finish with the French couple before she spoke. "Bienvenue à Miami," Cristina said, as the couple walked away.

"Wow, they had a lot of questions," Cristina said as she watched the couple head to the elevator.

"You missed him," Juanita said. "Who?" Cristina replied. "Whom did I miss? Was it a player on the Miami Heat?" Juanita shook her head. "Of course not. What is it with you and the Miami Heat?"

"Nothing, I just like basketball," Cristina said. "Alright, now that we have established that it is not a Miami Heat player, whom did I miss?"

"The guest I was checking in. He was gorgeous with the most amazing Scottish accent," Juanita said. "The only problem was that while I was checking him in, he was checking you out."

"Oh, please. As if I would get involved with any guest," Cristina responded. "Juanita, you and I are only here for three months. We are just making up the hours for our practicum. We don't have time to develop relationships with guests, especially since they are only going to be here for a couple of days." Cristina and Juanita were both students at Florida International University, doing the hospitality management program. One of the requirements for one of their courses was a practicum at a hotel that they had to do during the summer. Besides their jobs manning the front desk, they were also working with established hotel employees in different areas. Cristina was assisting the hotel concierge while Juanita was shadowing the food and beverage manager. Both girls were going to be seniors in the fall.

"Well, he is really cute," Juanita said. "He is also some sort of VIP because he is booked in the presidential suite. He is only 25, too."

Cristina groaned. "He must be some rich kid, coming down to South Beach to mingle with his own kind. You and me – we don't fit into that category. We are poor college students without a dime to spare. Besides, if he can afford the presidential suite, there is no freaking way that he would even give girls like us a second glance."

"Yeah, you're right," Juanita said. "So let's talk about our weekend."

"Yup, two whole days off. I can't believe it," Cristina said. "We are definitely going to hit the clubs tomorrow night. And finally, I can show my real ID. No more fake driver's license for me. I will be 21 tomorrow. Just awesome."

"Yeah, it is going to be a blast," Juanita said. "The gang is so up for tomorrow night. Oops, before I forget, I have to tell Mr. Santos that our guest would like him to visit him in his room." Mr. Ruben Santos was the hotel concierge. She got on the phone and informed him that Owen Hunt was in the Presidential suite, awaiting a visit from him. It seemed that Mr. Santos was awaiting such a call and thanked her, profusely. Juanita assumed that Mr. Hunt was probably a very big deal.

* * *

Mr. Santos straightened his jacket before he knocked on the door of the Presidential suite. He knew that Owen Hunt was going to be visiting. He had already been informed by hotel management that he would be visiting. Owen Hunt was the son of the chairperson of the company, Elinor Lockhart. He was there to look at the Miami operations of the hotel. The hotel had been an outstanding performer of the upscale chain for a number of years and management was interested in seeing what they were doing that could be implemented at the other establishments.

Owen was feeling a lot better. He had taken off that damn suit and changed into a white linen shirt and jeans. "Good riddance," he said, as he hung up the suit. Then, there was a knock on the door. It was probably the hotel concierge. He went quickly to open the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Hunt," Mr. Santos said, offering his hand for Owen to shake. "I am Ruben Santos, the hotel concierge. You asked to see me."

Owen shook the man's hand. "Good to meet you, Mr. Santos."

"Oh, you can call me Ruben, Mr. Hunt," the concierge said. "Well, then, you can call me Owen," Owen said.

"So how is your mother?" Ruben asked. "She is doing well," Owen said.

"So how can I help you?" Ruben asked. "Well, I see the Heat is in the playoffs, I would like to get some courtside seats of the game," Owen asked. "I know they are probably very hard to get but I hope you can try to get me seats for Sunday's game."

"Hmm," Ruben said, rubbing his chin with a finger. At this late stage, he was going to have to dig deep in his contacts list to get those seats. "Owen, I will do my very best to secure those seats. Two, right?" Owen nodded. "Yes, two."

"Is that all?" Ruben asked. "You need anything else. Tickets to the Miami Ballet, perhaps?"

"I am interested in taking in some of the nightlife on South Beach. Would that be possible?" Owen asked. "Maybe, tomorrow night?"

"Of course, I will map out a couple of places. I will make some calls and let them know that you're coming and to allow you into the VIP sections in their clubs. That won't be a problem," Ruben said.

"Also, since I am not too familiar with the area, can you assign someone to accompany me to the clubs?" Owen asked.

"Certainly," Ruben said. "I have just the person." He immediately thought of his young assistant, Cristina. She was a college student and therefore, should be familiar with the night life. "I will get on to those clubs, give them a few calls and I will give you my recommended list. I will get back to you by tomorrow for those seats at the Heat game."

"Thank you, Ruben," Owen said.

* * *

After ending her shift at the front desk, Cristina went to Mr. Santos' office to see if he needed her for anything. Working with Mr. Santos was actually interesting. She was getting to know a lot of people and making valuable contacts. She was amazed at how he could get things done for guests and was able to procure the hardest-to-get tickets for concerts and games.

"Hey, Mr. Santos, I am done with my shift at the front desk. Is there anything you need for me to do?" she asked. "Remember I am off for two days."

"Uh, not right now, Cristina. But there is something I need for you to do," Ruben said. "This is very important. Tomorrow night, I would like you to accompany one of our VIP guests to some of the nightclubs."

"But I am off, Mr. Santos," Cristina started to protest.

"Yes, I know. I will make sure you are paid for it," Ruben said. "This is very important. The guest is a big deal to our hotel."

"But it's my birthday, tomorrow," she said. "My friends and I are planning to hit some nightclubs tomorrow to celebrate. I am turning 21."

"Perfect," Ruben said. "You can still hit the nightclubs but with my guest. I have a list of clubs that I would like you to take him." He handed over the list to Cristina. Her eyes opened wide as she took in the names on the list. They were some of the most exclusive clubs in Miami. "I have called the managers already and they will let you into their VIP areas." As tempting as all of this sounded, Cristina did not want to celebrate her birthday with a stranger. She wanted to make a deal with Mr. Santos. He made it sound like she really had no choice but to do this.

"Okay," she finally said. "But can my friends go to the clubs, too? I mean we already had our night planned."

"That's fine. How many of you will it be?" he asked. "It is five of us, including me," she said.

"Alright, I will just inform the club managers to let you all in," he said. He took out four business cards and signed his name behind them. "These are for the doormen. Just hand it to them and they will let you all in." She took the cards and tucked them into her purse. "What is the guest's name?" she asked.

"Owen Hunt," Ruben said. "He will meet you in the lobby at 10 p.m. tomorrow night. I will inform him of what you look like. Thank you, Cristina. I know this was asking a lot from you." She nodded and left his office.

She was not pleased at all. Already, she did not like this Owen Hunt.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Since this is a new story, feedback will be greatly appreciated on whether this should be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2 A Night Out

Cristina waited in the middle of the Hotel Lockhart lobby. She felt strangely undressed, as she was wearing club clothes, which consisted of a tiny red glittery halter top and a short black skirt with sky-high heels. Her back and legs were bare and she received some lecherous looks from some of the older male guests. "Oh, can't this Owen Hunt get here soon enough?" she thought. She was not in a particularly good mood at all. She had time to think about it all day and the more she thought about how she had to babysit this guest, made her even angrier. She realized that she would probably have to behave, a little more decorously than she had planned, since she was representing the hotel in front of this VIP guest. She groaned because she had planned to be wilder than what she usually was. She was even more prepared to dislike the man. "Why me?" she thought. "And where the heck is this dude?" She looked at her watch, impatiently.

Owen closed the door of his room and tucked his room key card into his wallet. He was dressed in a purple shirt and black pants. He hoped he looked presentable for the nightlife scene. Ruben had called him earlier in the day and advised him that he had indeed procured two courtside seats for the Miami Heat game. It came at a premium cost, given the lateness of the request. Owen told Ruben not to worry about that and to just put it on is tab.

The second thing was that the person who was going to be taking him around to the clubs would be Ruben's assistant, Cristina. "She will meet you downstairs in the lobby tonight at 10 p.m. She is an Asian girl with lots of curly hair. You can't miss her."

From that description, Owen knew exactly who his companion would be for the night. He smiled to himself. Things were indeed looking up. He was pleasantly surprised because he thought Ruben would have asked a guy to take him around.

The reason he had asked for the two courtside tickets was that he was going to offer his companion the other ticket for the game. He was now a little unsure. If it had been a guy, he knew that the guy would more than likely jump at the chance to see a playoff game. With a girl, he couldn't be sure that she would be a basketball fan.

He stepped off the elevator and saw her standing there. It was clear she was standing in a position to ensure that he would be able to see her. He greatly appreciated her skimpy outfit, especially since it showed the smooth skin of her back and legs. Unfortunately for her, that skimpy outfit was drawing some ogles from passing male guests. He walked quickly to her so he could end her discomfort from all the leers she was experiencing.

"Hello," he said. "You must be Cristina." She swiftly turned around. "Yes, I am," she responded. She noted the Scottish accent. She wondered if this was the guest that Juanita was talking about. Juanita was right that he was a good-looking man."You must be Owen Hunt. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hunt," she said with a smile.

"Please call me Owen," he said. "If I can call you Cristina."

"Yes, of course," she said. "Are you ready?" He nodded. "Mr. Santos has arranged for a limo to take us to the clubs," Owen told her. "A limo?" Cristina repeated. She certainly was not expecting that.

"Yes," Owen answered. "It should be parked outside. The limo and the driver are at our disposal for the entire night." Cristina had the thought that things were really looking up for the night. Just as Owen said, the limo was waiting for them, right in front of the hotel. The driver opened the back door for them and they both climbed in. The last time Cristina was in a limo was senior prom, when her parents and her date's parents paid for a limo to take them to and from the prom. But that limo, she noted, was not as cushy and comfortable as this one. There was also wine and champagne in the limo. He asked if she wanted anything but she declined. She needed to keep her wits about her in front of this guest. She didn't have to like him but she needed to be polite to him and that was exactly what she was going to be.

"Oh, before I forget, I have to tell you that we will not be alone tonight. I have a couple of friends, joining us at the clubs. You will meet them when we get to the first club, Aries," Cristina said. "I hope you don't mind."

"That's fine. The more people, the merrier," he said. For the rest of the way, until they got to Aries, they were both silent. Cristina was not sure what to say to him plus she was still resentful that she had to entertain a guest on her birthday. Owen felt a certain coolness from her but he didn't know why.

She was so grateful when she finally spotted her friends in the line, outside of Aries. When she and Owen stepped out of the limo, their mouths fell open.

"Riding in style, Yang," Juanita said, with a loud laugh. Cristina grinned. She knew her friends would have gotten a kick out of that. "Hey, guys, this is our guest at the hotel, Owen Hunt," she said. "You already know Juanita. She checked you into the hotel, yesterday."

"Oh, yes," Owen said, nodding to the girl with the dark hair. "Good to see you again."

"And these are our friends, Amber, Collin and Ryan," Cristina said. Owen briefly shook hands with a blonde haired, brown eyed girl, a biracial guy with blue eyes and a guy with light brown hair and green eyes. "Pleased to meet everyone," Owen said.

"So guys, you can get out of this line," Cristina said. "My boss has given me the magic key to the kingdom of Aries."

"What is that?"Amber asked. "His business card," Cristina said. They all got out of the line and went straight to the door.

"Hold up, hold up," the doorman said. "There is a line here and you will have to get back in the line."

"I have this," Cristina said, handing the doorman Ruben's business card. "This is the Owen Hunt party." The man took Ruben's card and stared at it for a moment. "Well, okay then." He removed the velvet rope and allowed them to pass, after he checked their IDs to ensure that each of them was over 21. "Ask for Rosa. She will take you to the VIP area."

As they went in, Cristina and her friends could not help but grin like Cheshire cats. "That was so awesome," Ryan said. "Never had that happened to me before." Cristina looked around and stopped a waitress. "Can you tell Rosa the Owen Hunt party is here?" The waitress nodded. A woman in a gold dress came by. "Hello, I am Rosa. So Ruben sent you?" They all nodded in unison. "Follow me," she commanded. They all fell into line, as she took them upstairs to a room that overlooked the main dance floor. They were each given a green wristband, which would allow them access to the VIP area for the rest of the night. Cristina and her friends were in awe. None of them had ever been in the VIP area of a club before. The boys fell back on to the comfy couches, reveling in their luxurious cushions. Owen was amused by their reaction. A waitress came by and took their drink order. Cristina, Owen noticed, ordered a coke.

"A coke?" Ryan said. "Are you kidding me? You are in the VIP section of Aries and you order a coke." Cristina gave him a deadly stare so he knew when to shut up. With their drinks in hand, they found themselves already moving to the throbbing music.

"Okay," Ryan said. "I can't take it anymore. Let's hit the dance floor." He grabbed Cristina's hand and they ran downstairs to the dance floor. Owen watched as they danced very provocatively with each other. He wondered if Ryan was Cristina's boyfriend. Their bodies seemed very familiar with each other as they swayed to the rhythm of the music. He was disappointed. Amber and Collin also went down to the dance floor. They also seemed to be a couple. That left him and Juanita together. He turned to her, "Do you wish to dance?" Juanita's toothy smile was the answer. He took her hand and led her down the stairs.

He hoped his London dance moves would pass muster in the hot Miami nightclubs. As he and Juanita danced, he kept glancing over at Cristina and Ryan, who seemed to be having a very good time. After some vigorous and rigorous dancing, the six of them made their way back up to the VIP room and collapsed on the sofas. Ryan was sitting next to Owen on one of the sofas. The girls decided to freshen up in the ladies' room, while the men ordered scotch.

"So you and Cristina are close?" Owen asked Ryan. "Yup, you could say that," Ryan replied. "We live together."

Owen knew then that he did not have a shot with Cristina. Clearly, she was committed to Ryan, if they lived together. It was clear to him that they were a couple. He was never going to hone in on another man's woman. He had been cheated on already by his last girlfriend and he had been greatly hurt by it. Their relationship did not withstand the cheating and they parted ways. He accepted that Cristina was involved with someone else and was resigned to the fact that he was only going to be a friend.

Ryan was not lying when he said that he and Cristina were close – they were really good buddies. It was also true that he and Cristina lived together. What he hadn't told Owen was that he and Cristina were just roommates in a two-bedroom apartment and were not a couple. In fact, Ryan and Cristina could never be a couple because he was gay. This was a fact that was unknown to Owen.

The girls returned from the ladies' room and Cristina announced that they would be heading to the next club. Ryan joined Cristina and Owen in the limo, while Juanita and Amber were in Collin's car. After they were allowed into Club Zenith and ushered to the VIP area, the hostess, Lena, asked which one of them was Cristina. Cristina raised her hand.

"Okay, we have a special surprise from Mr. Santos," Lena said. "Bring it out." A server brought out a large cake with 21 lit candles, as everyone started singing, "Happy Birthday." It was her birthday and she hadn't mentioned it at all. No wonder he felt that distance from her, Owen thought. Mr. Santos had forced her to work on her birthday. It was clear that Mr. Santos was trying to make it up to Cristina by ordering this cake for her.

Cristina cut the cake and offered each of them a generous slice. It was rich and full of chocolatey goodness. She sat next to him, as they each devoured their cake. "It's your birthday," he said. "You didn't say anything."

"Yes, it is. I turned 21 today," she said. She checked her watch. It was already past midnight. "Correction – I turned 21 yesterday."

"Happy Birthday, Cristina," he said. Now he felt really bad. "I am sorry that you had to take me out on your birthday. You probably didn't want me hanging around."

"It is okay. I am still here with my friends and we can all have a good time," she said. "Honestly, without you, we would never have been able to get into the VIP sections of these clubs. In fact, if my friends and I are being truthful about this, we would never have even gotten into these clubs without you. They are very exclusive and they don't just let anybody in. So because of you, we found out how the other half lives and I have got to tell you that they have it pretty darn good."

"Well, I am glad that I was able to help in that area," he said. Even though he said that, he felt strange. It was clear to him that to Cristina and her friends, he was not one of them, he was a member of the other half. He almost felt like apologizing for being rich. She smiled at him. It was the first genuine smile she had given him all night. Before then, it had been all polite.

They went to two more clubs before they all decided to call it a night. Collin drove Juanita and Amber home, while Owen said he would take Ryan and Cristina home. They stopped in front of a very nice Mediterranean-style apartment complex. After they climbed out of the limo, Ryan threw his arm around Cristina's shoulder and they began walking away.

"Thanks, Cristina,"Owen called out from the limo. Then, he remembered the tickets for the Miami Heat game that he had. He wanted to thank her for taking him out, especially since he was such an imposition on her birthday. "Cristina, do you like basketball?" She spun around, immediately.

"Yes," she said. "Um, I have courtside seats for the Miami Heat game, tomorrow. I was wondering if you would like to come along," he said. "You can think of it as a birthday present from me to you and also a thank you for taking me around." Cristina looked up at Ryan, in a state of disbelief.

"You should go," Ryan said. "When do you think you would ever get courtside seats again?"

"Yes, Owen, I would like to go," she said. "Good," he said. "I will pick you up, tomorrow." Owen said, closing his door. He was glad that they got Ryan's blessing. After all, he would not want Ryan to think that he was muscling in on his girlfriend.

As the limo drove away, he looked back and saw her jumping up and down in glee. It made him smile.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3 Basketball Night

Owen called Cristina before he arrived at her apartment complex, so she was already waiting for him at the front. "Hey," he said. "I would have come up to the apartment to pick you up there."

"It's okay," she said. "This way, we can get there, earlier. I am so excited. Where did you get this car?"

"From Ruben," Owen said. "The hotel lent me this car for the week." Cristina was suitably impressed by the silver Mercedes Benz S400 hybrid that he was driving. This Owen Hunt must be truly a VIP.

"Beautiful car," she said. "How are you taking to the driving on the opposite side of the road?" He chuckled. "It certainly is something I have to get used to doing. I am actually making the conscious effort to remember."

As they got to the American Airlines Arena, Cristina could barely contain her excitement. After parking, they got into the arena and got their courtside seats. Cristina could not believe she was actually there and to have courtside seats; it was truly amazing. "We're so close to the action, they can actually sweat on us," she said, excitedly. Owen laughed. It was really amusing to see how hyped she was, except he was not particularly relishing any sweaty basketball player dropping his perspiration on them.

She gazed around the arena and marveled at the star power of the occupants of the courtside seats. "Oh, my God. I can't believe who is here. There's Will Smith and his kid, Flo Rida, David Beckham, Rihanna, JLo, Kanye, Gabrielle Union, even that good-looking guy from Grey's Anatomy with the green eyes, Jesse something or the other. This is just so awesome. I can't wait to tell Ryan about all the people I saw." Her eyes were shining with glee. At the mention of Ryan, Owen was again painfully made aware of the existence of her boyfriend.

She clapped with delight at the announcement of the players and they stood up for the national anthem for Kelly Clarkson's rendition. They were both supporting the home team. After all, they were both in Miami. From the tip-off to the buzz of the half-time, they found themselves shouting and screaming. The game was all tied up at half-time.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. "Just a coke," she said. He got their drinks and just as he was about to sit down, he noticed that their faces up on a screen. "What the hell is that? Why are we up there on that screen?" he asked. "Oh, god, no," she said, hiding her face. "It is the dreaded kiss cam."

"The what?" he asked, puzzled. "Kiss cam?"

"Yes, they flash on people in the arena and they expect you to kiss," she said. All around them, people began chanting "Kiss, kiss, kiss."

"Oh, come on, kid," the older guy behind him. "She is a pretty girl. Surely, you have kissed her before." He looked at Cristina, who had trepidation in her eyes. The people around them continued to chant and they were not relenting. He wasn't sure what to do. After all, she had a boyfriend and he didn't want to do anything that would have a negative effect on her relationship. He respected hers and Ryan's relationship. But it seemed that the kiss cam would not leave them, until he kissed her. He leaned over and gave her a light, chaste peck on the lips. Thankfully, that was enough for their images to be removed from the screen, as the kiss cam sought out another couple.

Strangely though, Cristina felt a little disappointed by the kiss. She knew that they weren't anything to each other but she would have expected a more full-bodied smooch and not this light peck on the lips. It wasn't even a peck, she thought, it was more of a brush of the lips. Seriously, didn't he find her attractive to give her a better kiss than that? The thought hung heavy on her mind even though she tried to concentrate on the game. Her self-image was terribly bruised.

After the game, which the Heat won by a few points, they headed out of the arena and back to her apartment complex. "Do you want me to walk you to your door?" he asked. If though this was not actually a real "date," he felt that a gentleman should walk the lady to her door. His mother had taught him that.

"No, it is okay," she said. "Ryan is probably already home and he will be there." As she got out of the car, she said, "Thank you very much for taking me to the game. It was a wonderful birthday present. It is not something that I could have ever afforded. So I guess I will see you around the hotel."

"Yes, you will. I am on a two-week visit, so I am sure that you will definitely see me," he said. He was going to spend the bulk of his stay, visiting the various departments and observing their operations and processes. Though the managers at the hotel knew about his visit, none of the main staff were aware of who he was and why he was there. They had felt that it was best that he just observed the staff, without having undue pressure on them knowing who he was. So lower level personnel like Cristina and Juanita were under the impression that he was just a very important guest.

"Goodbye," she said. "Goodbye," he said, with a wave.

* * *

Cristina wearily walked to her apartment. She lived on the second floor, so she just walked up the stairs and down the corridor to Apartment 2F. It was actually a rather comfortable and well-laid out apartment, paid for by Cristina's and Ryan's parents. Their parents were afraid their children were going to live in squalor in Miami, so they made sure that they had a lovely apartment. Cristina kicked off her shoes and went to Ryan's bedroom. He was there, under the covers, fast asleep. She climbed into the bed and shook him awake.

"Ryan, I need to talk," she said. Ryan rubbed his eyes and stretched. "What's wrong? You only crawl into bed next to me, when something is wrong. Talk to Dr. Ryan. The psychologist is in."

"Have I lost my mojo?" she asked, with a pained expression on her face.

"What? Your mojo?" he repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, do guys find me attractive?" she asked. "That kind of mojo."

"Of course, you are attractive. If I liked girls, I would be on you like a lion on a zebra. You would definitely be my kind of girl," he said with a smile.

"Is that the analogy you could come up with? Like a lion on a zebra. You do know that the lion eats the zebra," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh, come on. I was fast asleep, when you came in here and shook me from my deep slumber," he said. "It was all I could think of at the moment. Now, that is beside the point. What is bugging you, my child?"

"Well, you know that Owen and I went to the basketball game today and something happened at half-time. The kiss cam was on us…" she started. Ryan sat up and howled. "The kiss cam! Now that is indeed hilarious." Cristina glowered at him. "As I was saying," she continued. "The kiss cam was upon us and it was very embarrassing. All of the people around us kept saying, 'kiss, kiss, kiss.' I kinda felt that he didn't really want to kiss me but he had no choice. He gave me this light touch of the lips. It was horrible. I felt so unattractive."

"Oh, Cristina, it isn't like the guy was going to give you an all-out tonguey kisssssss right there in front of everybody. That is a lot of pressure," Ryan said.

"Maybe he is gay," she said. "You do know that my gaydar is broken. I didn't know you were gay, until you told me when we were 16 back in high school."

"I had to tell you," Ryan said. "We liked the same guy. Trouble was he liked you and not me. My gaydar is certainly not broken and I can tell you that Owen Hunt is 100 per cent straight."

"Okay, so he's straight. He just doesn't like me," Cristina said. She sighed loudly. Ryan listened to her sighing and turned to her. "Wait a minute, Cristina do you want him to like you? I mean he is a guest at the hotel and won't be there much longer," he said. Cristina blushed.

"Yeah, I want him to like me," she said. "And I know he is a guest and his time here is limited."

"So you like Owen, right?" Ryan said. She nodded and grabbed a pillow and hid her face. "Yes, I like Owen," her voice was muffled against the pillow. "It is just that he doesn't like me." Ryan patted her on her back.

"There are lots of other guys out there who will like you, Cristina," he said. "You're beautiful. If he doesn't like you, then I don't know what his problem is. As I told you before, if I weren't gay, I would be all over you like a monkey on a bunch of bananas." His analogy made Cristina laugh.

"Ah, success. She is laughing," he said. "Are you going to stay here and sleep or going back to your room?"

"Nope," she said. "You always hog the blankets."

"It is my room and my bed and my blankets, so I can hog them if I want to," he said. She crawled out of the bed and said, "Thanks, Ryan, you have always been my greatest cheerleader."

"Always, Cristina Yang. Best friends since the age of six," he said. "Good night."

"Good night, Ryan," she said. She went to her room, stripped out of her clothes, took a shower and brushed her teeth. She changed into a nightshirt and climbed into her bed.

"Ryan is right," she said to herself. "If Owen doesn't like me, it is not the end of the world. There are lots of other guys out there." She grabbed a pillow and hugged it. "The only problem is I really like Owen." She sighed again, before she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

* * *

The next day found her at the front desk at the hotel with Juanita. "So how was the basketball date with the hottie Scotsman with the amazing accent?" Juanita asked.

"It wasn't a date," Cristina said, firmly. "It was a thank you for taking me around. It was more like an obligation for him." She had resigned herself to the fact that he did not like her in that way. Juanita was surprised at Cristina's reaction. She was so sure that Owen Hunt did indeed like her friend and it was not an obligation date. She had seen the way he had been looking at Cristina, when he had checked in. And then again, at the nightclub, he had been watching Cristina dance with Ryan. Juanita could not believe that she was wrong about that.

"But he likes you!" Juanita said. Cristina shook her head. "He does not like me in that way. I don't want to go into the details but I am pretty sure about that." Juanita stared at Cristina, as if she didn't believe that. "It's true, Juanita," Cristina insisted. "So let's forget about that."

Cristina did not see Owen for the entire morning. She and Juanita did not share a lunch break together since one of them had to man the desk, while the other went to lunch. Cristina liked having her lunch at the poolside area. She munched on her sandwich; unbeknownst to her, she was being observed by Owen. He was on the far side of the eating area and she did not see him. He had spent the morning in the food and beverage department and was looking over his notes. He wondered if to join her at her table. He was going to do so until he saw a tall, handsome, tanned young man dressed only in swim shorts, beat him to it.

The young man had asked if he could sit with her and Cristina told him it was fine. He was good-looking and suitable eye candy for a lunchtime companion. As he took his seat, he said his name was Juan Carlos and he was from Argentina. He was holidaying in Miami for a week before heading back home. Cristina had an idea – she was going to test whether she still had her mojo by shamelessly flirting with the man.

So she laughed a little too much at his jokes and stared intently into his dark brown eyes. She even found herself massaging his well-muscled biceps. Owen watched all that was unfolding in front of him in disbelief. What the hell was Cristina doing? She was in a committed relationship with Ryan, her boyfriend, whom she was living with. And there she was, flirting with some tanned, bare-backed young man, in front of everybody. He was shocked, totally shocked.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for the reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	4. Chapter 4 Juan Carlos

Cristina went back to the front desk with a huge smile on her face. Juanita noticed it, immediately. "Why are you grinning like a Cheshire cat? That is a positive change from when you left here to go to lunch."

"Well, it seems I still have my mojo," she said. "And how do you know that?" Juanita asked, grinning. "Picked up some handsome hunk?"

"Of course I did," Cristina said, proudly. "A very good-looking, very tanned, very hot Argentinian named Juan Carlos. We are meeting for drinks, this evening, after work."

"Oh, please, don't tell me that you are going to sleep with him," Juanita said, a little alarmed. She wasn't quite sure how far Cristina would go to prove that her mojo was back.

"Of course not," Cristina said, indignantly. "I am not going to sleep with some random guy. My momma taught me better than that. We are just having drinks. Juan Carlos is leaving Miami, tomorrow. He has been here for a week and now he is leaving."

"Okay," Juanita said. "So you had a very good lunch." Cristina nodded, chuckling as she did so.

* * *

Owen had watched Cristina leave the poolside area before he decided to have a few words with the tanned man. He felt the need to save Cristina from herself. Surely, she wasn't acting rationally with all that flirting with this guy. She had a boyfriend; didn't she remember that?

He cleared his throat, as he walked across to the dark, Latin guy, who was still sitting at the table. "Hello," he said. Juan Carlos looked up. "Hola," he responded in a deep voice. Owen noted that the man was better-looking that he had originally thought he was. He had thick, dark, wavy hair and soulful brown eyes, with white straight teeth, which stood out against his golden tan.

"You don't know me," Owen started. "But that girl that was here – you should stay away from her." Juan Carlos had a puzzled look on his face. Owen was going to continue but Juan Carlos spoke. "Perdón. Yo no hablo Inglés." Owen groaned. His Spanish was very spotty at best but he knew that the man had said that he did not speak English.

"I am sorry. Never mind," Owen said, as he walked away. Since the man did not speak English, that meant Cristina also spoke Spanish, too. She was multi-lingual, he realized. Though it was not surprising that she spoke Spanish, he knew, given that Miami had a large Hispanic population. Juan Carlos was perplexed by the approach of the pale stranger. He did not have a clue at what the pale man was saying. But whatever, it did not matter, he was feeling good. He had a date with the pretty Asian girl, this evening.

* * *

"If you want to go off for your lunch break, now," Cristina told Juanita. "You can go ahead. I have things covered here."

"Yeah, I am so hungry," Juanita said. She picked up her handbag and noticed that Owen Hunt was crossing the lobby and heading to elevators. "Hey, Cristina, there is Owen, we haven't seen him for the day," she said. Cristina looked up and saw Owen. She sighed because she was reminded that he did not like her in the way that she had hoped. Juanita waved at Owen. He waved back, until he saw Cristina to the left of Juanita. His whole expression changed. He gave her the most disapproving look and shook his head, as he headed to the elevators.

Cristina was shocked, totally shocked. What was that expression he was giving her? Juanita looked to her friend. "What the hell was that about, Cristina? What did you do to him?" Juanita said. "He looked like if you had just run over his dog. My God, if looks could kill, you would have been dead, already."

Cristina was dumbfounded for a minute. She still did not understand what had just happened. She went through last night's events in her brain. Still, she could not come up with anything that she did to offend him. "I don't know, Juanita," she said. "I don't know what I did." She made up her mind that she would speak to him about it, later.

* * *

It was 6 p.m. Cristina was changing out of her uniform and into her normal clothes. She was glad that she had chosen to wear the short black skirt this morning. She needed to jazz up her top a bit since she was going for drinks. "This does not look dressy enough," she said, as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, I know, I have this lacey top that I was going to wear last week when I was going out but we didn't bother to go out, again," Juanita said. "It is still in my locker. You can wear it."

"Thanks, Juanita, you are a lifesaver," Cristina said, as Juanita opened her locker and pulled out the white lacey top. "Ooh, it is pretty." She took off her own shirt and slipped on the lacey top. "Actually, it looks better on you than me, I hate to admit," Juanita said. "You look fab." Cristina brushed out her thick curls and freshened her make-up. She spritzed on some perfume and she said, "I think I am ready." Juanita smiled and nodded her approval on Cristina's appearance.

"So where are you going?" Juanita asked. "Oh, we are just taking a walk a couple of blocks away to that bar, Colors."

"Oh, yeah, that is a sweet place," Juanita agreed. "Okay, have a good time." Cristina walked out to the lobby, where she spotted Juan Carlos waiting for her. He looked so good, she thought. Juan Carlos was wearing a crisp white shirt and black jeans. "Hola," she said. "Cristina, eres muy bonita," he said, flashing his dazzling white teeth. She smiled, shyly, and said, "Muchas gracias. Vamos." She took his arm and they headed out of the hotel to the bar, that wasn't too far away.

Owen was taking an evening walk, enjoying the sights of Miami Beach. He was headed back to the hotel, when he spotted them – Cristina and her Latin friend from the pool side area – entering a bar. He couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. He stopped in front of the bar and he could not stop himself. His feet were taking him into the bar. He found a nice spot near the end of the bar, where he could observe them, sitting in their corner booth. He ordered a beer and stared at them, intently, for a while. Just like at the pool, earlier, Cristina and the man were laughing and flirting with each other. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. After finishing his beer, he got up and left the bar.

He was so furious with her. How could she do this to Ryan? He knew his own experiences with his ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth, was fueling his anger. He had been so bitter when he found out that Elizabeth had cheated on him with one of his friends, William. William had been a friend from their undergraduate days at Oxford University. Now, he was no longer a friend. He had been devastated because he had been betrayed not only by his girlfriend but also by someone, whom he thought was a good friend. The bitterness was still fresh in his mind. He had tried to forgive Elizabeth but he found he could not do so. They had parted ways, soon after that.

He knew he was angry, too, because he had liked Cristina so much. He knew he had been attracted to her a lot and to find out this about her, he was greatly disappointed. How could he have been such a poor judge of character? He walked back to the hotel, a disconsolate man.

* * *

Cristina and Juan Carlos had a pleasant evening out together. They walked back to the hotel and she said goodbye and told him to have a safe trip back to Buenos Aires. She stood outside of the hotel and waited for Ryan to pick her up. She was pleased to see his car pull up.

"So did you have a great night with the Latin hottie?" Ryan asked. "Yup," she said. "I still have my mojo." He grinned back at her. "Let's go. You can tell me all about it on the way home."

* * *

The next day, Cristina and Juanita were at the front desk for their shift. Juanita noticed Owen taking a seat in the lobby. "Hey, there's Owen, maybe you would want to talk to him, after the way he looked at you, yesterday," she said.

"Yeah, I want to do that," Cristina replied. "He seems to have some sort of beef with me and I can't think of what it could be." She was going to talk to him but a large contingent of people suddenly descended on them. The hotel was hosting a global convention and a lot of people were checking in that day. In fact, Cristina was so busy that she did not have time to go chat with Owen.

Owen was actually working. Armed with his laptop, he was actually observing and evaluating Cristina and Juanita. He was still furious with her but he could not allow that to impair his judgement in evaluating how she worked.

He had to admit that Cristina and Juanita were an efficient pair, as they handled the continuous waves of people who were checking in. He was aware of the convention that was being held at the hotel, so it was an actually a good time to observe them to see how they were working under pressure. He was impressed by the fact that both girls were multi-lingual and could switch from one language to the next. He knew Cristina already spoke French and Spanish but it also turned out that she spoke German, Italian, Korean and Mandarin. The girls were fast on the feet and came up with immediate answers to their guests' questions and solutions to their problems. He observed them for about two hours. When they finally had a break in the guests checking in, Cristina looked for Owen. He was no longer in his seat. He had left.

She let out a big breath. She could not have her chat with Owen, as yet. She did not see Owen for the rest of her shift.

* * *

The next time she saw him, she was actually going to leave for the day. She had already changed out of her uniform and into her street clothes. She was checking her phone messages and really wasn't watching where she was going. She bumped into Owen, who had been carrying his laptop. His laptop fell to the floor.

"Why don't you watch where you are going?" he said in an angry tone, as he picked up his laptop. Fortunately, it seemed everything was okay with his laptop.

"I am sorry," she said. He shook his head, as he headed to the elevator.

"Is that it?" she asked. "What?" he replied, sharply.

"Is that all you are going to say to me?" she asked again. "I mean yesterday, you glared at me like if I had done something to you. I have been going it over and over in my brain and I can't think of anything. So what is your problem with me?"

"Nothing," he said, again in that curt way.

"I am not stupid so you can't tell me that it's nothing," she said. "There is something wrong, Owen. What did I do to you?"

"You didn't do anything to me," he said. "Then what is it?" she asked. "Why are you treating me this way?"

"It's not what you did to me. It is what you are doing to Ryan," he said, quietly. "I don't know how you could do something like this to him. He is a great guy and you do this to him. You live together, for goodness sake."

"Ryan? What am I doing to Ryan?" she asked. She was completely confused.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thank you for leaving your reviews. I do appreciate them.**


	5. Chapter 5 Confrontation

Owen noticed that people were starting to look at them. He said, "Maybe we should take this discussion upstairs in my room." She nodded because she, too, had noticed the prying eyes. They were silent as they went up the elevator to the top floor. They stepped off the elevator and walked down the corridor to the Presidential Suite. Cristina was very curious to see the suite since she had never seen it in person. The closest she had ever come to seeing the suite was in a brochure that the hotel had printed.

Owen slipped in his room key and opened the door. He let her in first, before he entered and closed the door behind him. She didn't want to seem too obvious but she was eyeing everything in the room. This place was luxurious, she thought in her mind. Everything seemed to be about three notches above what was offered in other rooms. "Whoa," she thought. She wondered whether there would ever be a time when she could ever afford to stay in a room like this.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked. She shook her head. She didn't come here to drink, just to talk. He poured himself a scotch on the rocks. He took a sip and glanced in her direction. "So you wanted to talk?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "From our conversation downstairs, you had said something about me doing something to Ryan. I can't think of anything that I have done to Ryan that would upset him." Owen scoffed. "So you are going to take that route, Cristina. Total denial," he said, shaking his head.

Cristina was now totally confused. "What are you talking about?" she shrieked. She was getting exasperated with all of these innuendoes. "You're cheating on him," Owen said, in a very flat tone.

"Cheating? Cheating!" Cristina responded. "How can I be cheating on Ryan? He is not even my boyfriend! In fact, I don't have a boyfriend."

"Ryan is not your boyfriend? But he told me that you lived together," Owen said, a little shocked.

"That's right, we do live together but we are roommates, not a couple," she told him.

"Roommates?" Owen replied. "Yes, roommates," Cristina said. "Not that we could ever be a couple. He bats for the other team."

"What?" he said. He didn't understand that analogy. Cristina sighed before she answered. "He bats for the other team, meaning that he is gay."

"Oh," Owen said. It all became clear to him.

"Why do you think that I am a cheater?" she asked. She was upset that he would think that of her. "I saw you with that guy – that Latin guy at the poolside. You were flirting and laughing and massaging his biceps."

"Juan Carlos?" she asked. "Well, if that is his name, I guess that is him," Owen said. "I was under the impression that you and Ryan were a couple and that you were stepping out on him."

Cristina was taken aback. "So you think that I am the kind of person who would cheat?" she said. She was getting even more steamed. Did he really think that she was the kind of person who would cheat on her boyfriend? She was even more upset, especially since it was his indifference which had made her seek out the companionship of Juan Carlos in the first place.

"I am not a cheater," she said, firmly. She turned and opened the door and walked out. He opened the door and said, "Cristina, I am sorry. I was mistaken. I apologize." But she did not turn back. She stepped into the open elevator, pressed the button for the lobby and stared back at him with hard eyes. He knew that she was furious with him. The elevator door closed and the last thing he saw was her angry face. Owen sighed.

* * *

Owen wanted to make it up to her, so he decided that he was going to ask her to dinner. The next day, he went down to the lobby and headed straight to the front desk. Juanita spotted him, coming their way. "There's Owen," Juanita said. "Looks like he is making a beeline to the desk." Cristina looked up and saw him. "You deal with him. I can't," she said. She turned her back from the desk and pretended that she was fixing something. Juanita gave her friend a sympathetic look. She had heard the story about how Owen thought she was a cheater and she knew Cristina felt gravely insulted.

"So, good morning, Owen," Juanita said with a smile. "How may I help you?"

"Um, good morning, Juanita. I would like to speak with Cristina," he said, nodding to the other girl, whose back was turned away from him.

"Ha!" Cristina said. "Juanita, could you tell Mr. Hunt that I am very busy and I cannot speak to him?" Juanita rolled her eyes. "What she said, Owen," she told him.

"Well, so we are going to play that game, are we?" he said. "Cristina, I was wondering if you would go to dinner with me? I need to explain a few things to you."

"Juanita, could you tell Mr. Hunt that I do not fraternize with guests?" Cristina said, a little haughtily.

"Really? If that were true, what were you doing with Juan Carlos at that bar?" he said. Cristina turned around, indignantly and was about to say something to him but she changed her mind. "Juanita, could you tell Mr. Hunt that I am declining his offer of dinner with him?" she said. Juanita rolled her eyes, again. "I am sorry, Owen. You heard what she said," Juanita had an apologetic look on her face.

"It's okay, Juanita. It is not your fault. She is a stubborn girl," Owen said. "Thank you." He walked away, disappointed.

"Stubborn? He called me stubborn," Cristina fumed. Juanita shook her head at her friend. "Well, you are stubborn and I am a person that loves you very much," Juanita said. "You can be stubborn when you want to be. He is trying to make things right with you."

"Hmph!" Cristina responded. "That will be a cold day in hell." She didn't hear from Owen for the rest of the day. He was busy, observing the housekeeping department.

* * *

It was later that evening when she and Ryan were having dinner that the subject of Owen came up. "Do you know that he had the audacity to call me stubborn, today?" Ryan chuckled. He already had been filled in with the details of what had transpired.

"Don't you dare laugh at me, Ryan," she said. "You are supposed to be on my side."

"I am always on your side, Cristina but don't you think that you are being a little hard on the guy?" he said. "He made some assumptions about us. They were wrong but I really kinda like that this guy was willing to stand up for me. He had my back and that is a lot more than I can say for most people, these days. He is a real upstanding guy."

"But he thought I was a cheater," she countered. "He insulted me."

"That is because he didn't have all the facts and was working on a false set of assumptions. I guess in a way it is my fault, too. When I told him that we lived together, I didn't really explain that we were roommates," Ryan said. "So, maybe I was the one that started the ball rolling. Personally, Cristina, I think you should give him a chance. He said he needed to explain some more to you. You should allow him to do so."

"You think?" Cristina said, softly. "Yes," Ryan said. "And maybe you should have some explaining to do, yourself. After all, you liked him in the beginning, a lot, and the whole thing with the Latin guy was because you wanted to see whether you had your mojo back. Come to think of it, maybe that is why he didn't make any moves on you. He thought you and I were a couple and given the kind of guy he is, there was no way he was going to hit on you. I am liking this guy more and more. He would be a cool friend."

Cristina groaned. "I really acted like a bitch today," she admitted. "I wouldn't address him, directly. I used Juanita to be my go-between."

"So you had one of your hissy-fits," Ryan said. "If he is the guy that I think he is, I am pretty sure that he would give you another chance. Why don't you apologize for your bad behavior and if he is willing, accept his dinner offer. Let the both of you get everything you need to say off your chest." Cristina came over to Ryan's end of the table and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek. "You know me so well. Thank you," she said. "What would I do without you? If you were straight, I would be all over you like a cat on catnip."

"Oh, good one. Well, we are best friends forever," he said, with a laugh.

* * *

The next day, Cristina asked Juanita to cover for her, as she wandered into the restaurant, looking for Owen. She spotted him at a corner table. He was having his breakfast and reading a newspaper. She let out a breath and walked over to him. He was surprised to see her standing in front of him.

"Good morning, Owen. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday," she said. "It was rude and uncalled for." He smiled. "Apology accepted," he said. "Why don't you sit down, have some breakfast?"

"Um, no, I can't, I am on duty. Juanita is covering the desk, alone, so I can't stay," she said. "Um, I was wondering if you still wanted to have that dinner."

"Yes, I do," he said. "How about tonight? Come up to my room. I can have room service bring up the food. You can come up after you've finished work. It will be quiet and private and we can talk."

"Okay," she said. "That will be fine. I guess I will see you a little later." He smiled, again. "Yes, I am looking forward to it," he said.

"I will leave you to your breakfast," she said. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Cristina," he said. He watched her walk away until she left the restaurant. It looked like things were looking up, finally, when it came to Cristina. He had been so pleased to find out that she didn't have a boyfriend but he knew she was very mad at him. He knew his own experiences had colored what he had thought about her. He needed to explain that.

* * *

Cristina stared at herself in the mirror. She had taken a quick shower and was changing into the raspberry-colored dress she had brought with her that morning. "Wow, wow, wow," Juanita said. "Going all out for this dinner."

"I thought that if I was going to dinner, I might as well look decent and not be a slob in jeans and a t-shirt," she said. She brushed out her hair and put on fresh make-up. She finally spritzed on her favorite perfume. "At least I am more dressed up than when I went to the bar with Juan Carlos. I think I look good." Juanita agreed with her, emphatically. "How are you feeling, Cristina?" she asked.

"A little nervous," she said, as she left the locker room. "Have a great evening," Juanita said. "Will try," Cristina replied. She made her way to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. As she stepped out of the elevator, she found her heart was racing. She knocked on the door of the suite and it was quickly opened by Owen. When he saw how lovely she looked, his heart skipped a beat. "You got here in time," he said. "They are setting up the dinner." Room service was indeed setting up the dinner, complete with flowers, candles and fine table linen. They waited until room service had set up everything and left. Owen thanked and tipped them, generously.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked. This time, she didn't refuse. He poured out a glass of the chilled white wine that he had and gave it to her. "Thank you," she said. She took a sip. It was really good wine. She wasn't a wine connoisseur but she knew a good wine when she drank it. "That is good," she said.  
"Yes, I asked them for their best," he said. "I am glad that you like it." There was an awkward silence, as each waited for the other to speak.

"There is something I need to say to you," she said. "I have to say it or I will never get it out."

"Okay, say it," he encouraged. She swallowed hard. "I like you, Owen. I really, really like you." The statement brought the broadest smile to his face.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you leave your reviews. **


	6. Chapter 6 The Dinner

"I like you, too," Owen said. "A whole lot." They both grinned at each other. "So I guess I would say that I am very pleased that you don't have a boyfriend." They just couldn't stop smiling at each other.

"I hope you like what I ordered," he said, as he went to the table and pulled out a chair, so she could sit. "I ordered both chicken and shrimp. I wasn't sure what you would eat."

"Both are fine," she said. "I will probably eat both. Thank you for being thoughtful enough to give me a choice."

"You're welcome," he said. They started off with their appetizer and soup. When they were through, he removed the plates and bowls and brought her the main entrée. It looked magnificent, she thought. "Wow," she said. "This is one fine looking meal. You know I can't afford some of the meals in the main restaurant here. It is just too expensive for my budget." Mentally, he wondered if the hotel should raise her salary. After all, he had seen her at work and she did a wonderful job at the front desk.

"Aww, that is a shame. The chef is fabulous," he said. "I think I have already started to put on weight." He patted his tummy. "My mother would not be pleased. She is very much a stickler on appearance. I was a fat lad. I used to indulge into too much chocolate and pudding. So during my teen years, she put me on a strict diet and an exercise regime with a personal trainer. I lost that weight in a hurry and I have managed to keep it off."

"Yes, you have. You look good," she said. Then, she caught herself and blushed. He found that was endearing.

"So I guess we have some things that we do need to talk about," he said. "It was the whole point of this dinner, right?" She nodded."Do you want to start or should I?" he asked.

"You go first," she told him.

"Thanks," he said. "First of all, let me apologize again for coming to a conclusion about you, when I didn't have all of the facts. I am sorry that I thought you were a cheater."

"Well, Ryan said you were working on a false set of assumptions and that may have clouded your judgment," she said.

"Yeah, well, that too. You may have thought that my reaction seemed to be a little extreme," he said. "There is a reason for that."

"Go on," she encouraged. He found it hard to talk about what had transpired between him and Elizabeth. In fact, he had never spoken to anyone about it. His mother knew that he and his girlfriend had broken up but Owen had never given her a reason.

"I had this girlfriend, Elizabeth. We went to school together at Oxford, when I was doing my undergraduate studies. She was my uni girlfriend. So we were together for a couple of years and I thought that we would probably get married in the future. We were together in London, when I was going to the London Business School, where I was doing my MBA. We met up with one of our old friends from Oxford, William, at a bar one night. He had been among our circle of friends back at school.

"We were reminiscing about old times. Well, it seemed that Elizabeth and William had an attraction to each other from since when we were back at uni. Little did I know that they decided to act on that attraction. So, all of the time, we were socializing with one another, the two of them were carrying on behind my back. They were seeing each other for about six months until I found out. I saw them together in a bar, all snuggled up together in a corner booth. I was so angry; I confronted them there and then. There was a huge scene. We were all tossed out of the bar. William and I went to fisticuffs. We both got black eyes." Cristina imagined the scene in her mind and found it mildly hilarious but she made sure that he didn't see that on her face.

"Well, after that, Elizabeth and I went back to our apartment and we had a major fight. I was totally devastated. I couldn't believe she could do that to me, especially since we were together for a couple of years. I felt so betrayed. We did try for several weeks but every time, I looked at her, all I could think about her was betraying me.

"I told her that I couldn't take it, anymore and I asked her to leave. I said if we were meant to be, then time would allow us to come back together. Last I heard, she and William had tried it for a while and then, they broke up," he said. "She called me, afterwards but I think that our time had passed."

"So when I saw you with Juan Carlos, it brought all those feelings of betrayal that I had felt. I couldn't understand how you could do this to Ryan. So that is why I treated you that way," he ended. "So I hope you understand, now, what I was going through."

"Thank you for telling me this. I guess I have my own confession," she said. He raised one eyebrow. What did she have to confess?

"The only reason that I went out with Juan Carlos was to prove something to myself," she told him. "Remember when we went to the Heat game and they had the kiss cam on us and you gave me that that half-baked kiss." He nodded. "But I thought you were with Ryan," he protested. "So I couldn't be kissing another guy's girlfriend."

"Well, I know that now, now. But then, I thought you didn't like me at all. I was really disappointed by the kiss," she said. She giggled because it was so funny to say it, now. "So I went out with Juan Carlos to prove that a guy would still find me attractive."

"Of course they would," he said. "Why would you think something like that?"

"Because you gave me a terrible kiss," she said. "I liked you and I thought you didn't like me. My ego needed some boosting, so that I was why I was flirting with Juan Carlos. He was good-looking and I felt it couldn't hurt, since he was going back to Buenos Aires the next day. So we went out to the bar for a bit and then, we walked back to the hotel, since he was leaving early the next morning. I just waited for Ryan to come pick me up. That was all that happened."

He laughed. "So we were both working under a false set of assumptions," he said.

"Yes," she said. "Maybe if we had communicated better, we would have avoided all of these misunderstandings."

"I do have to agree with you on that point," he said. "And now? How do you propose moving forward?" He had a cheeky smile on his face. "We've already said that we like each other. I think that is a good start."

"What about if we just get to know each other? We haven't had much of an opportunity, in terms of that," she said. "The clubs and the basketball game were just too noisy for much chatter."

"Okay," he concurred. "What would you like to know?"

"Um, what do you do in London?" she asked. Owen was hesitant. He didn't want to reveal too much of what he was doing there in Miami. After all, she was still one of the main staff and it was decided to keep his role there as undercover.

"Well, I work in our family business," he said. "I have been working there since I graduated from London Business School. It was kind of ordained that I would continue the family business." He was trying to be vague.

"And what is the family business?" she asked. Clearly, she was not going to accept vague, he thought.

"We work in the travel business," he said. That wasn't a total lie. The Hotel Lockhart corporation did include a company that offered tours and travel packages.

"The travel business? Do you offer tours and travel packages?" she queried, cocking her head to one side. Owen nodded. He didn't want to elaborate that his family had a hotel empire and that young Miss Yang was actually an employee of that chain. He didn't want to tell her that he was the son of the founder of the hotel chain and that in reality, he was there on a mission.

"Is that why you are here at the hotel?" she asked. "Are you scoping it out for a future tour package?"

"Um, yes," he said. "Currently, we offer two lower-end Miami packages. We're looking to do a more upscale, top of the line package. The best of the best," he said. He knew he was pulling this out of the air and he was probably digging himself a deeper hole, in terms of how far this tale was going.

"Oh, okay," she said. "That is awesome. So I am going to be working in a related field. I am doing a degree in hospitality management at Florida International University. I am going to be a senior in the fall."

"Oh," Owen said. "So this is a temporary job at the hotel?" He had been mistaken in thinking that she was a full-time employee of the hotel.

"Well, it is not so much of a job, as an assignment. For one of our courses, we have to accumulate hours at a real-life establishment. Kind of practical training to understand how a hotel actually operates. Juanita and I are here for the summer," she explained. "Yeah, so come September, we won't be here, anymore and back in the classroom."

"So have you been enjoying your assignment?" he asked, with a gentle smile.

"Oh, the hotel is great," she said. "I really like it here. Maybe, when I graduate, I could apply for a job, here." He looked at her, excitedly. He liked the idea of her working at the hotel as a full-time employee.

"Yes, you should," he said. "I am sure that there are wonderful opportunities for you at the hotel. You know it is part of a bigger chain." He had to temper the enthusiasm in his voice because he didn't want to sound like if he was actively recruiting her to work for the hotel.

"Yes, I know," she said. "I had to look up the history of this hotel, when we applied to do our assignments here. Our founder, Elinor Lockhart, seems to be an amazing person. She took her father's small inn in Edinburgh and made it into a hotel conglomerate. She really had guts and fortitude to do that. She is a woman to be greatly admired."

Owen smiled, thinking about his mom. She would be greatly pleased to hear that she was inspiring a bright, young woman like Cristina. "I am sure she is," Owen said. He wondered if they would ever meet.

"So how are you enjoying your vacation in Miami?" she asked. "Have you been able to do any sight-seeing?"

"Not much," he said. "Would you like to take me around?" He said it with a measure of hope in his voice.

"Hmmm," she said, mentally checking her schedule. Not that she really had to do it; other than work, she really didn't have anything planned, given that she wasn't dating, at the moment. But she couldn't let him know that, of course. After murmuring a bit, she said, finally, "Yes, I would like to take you around the city, if you wish."

"I wish," he said. "By the way, I ordered some great dessert. Interested in some fruit tarts? I saw them downstairs in the restaurant, earlier on the week. I ordered strawberry, raspberry, kiwi and blackberry tarts. I didn't know which you would like." He said, bringing the four mini-tarts for her to see.

"Ooh, they look yummy. I think I will have the strawberry and the blackberry," she said. He gave her the two that she wanted and he took the other two. They sat there, in companionable silence, watching each other.

As they polished off the last of the fruit tarts, she asked, "Was this a first date?"

"I don't know," he said. "I mean we are having dinner and all that. But it was more of an apology and also to explain myself kind of deal."

"We could think of it as our first date," she said, with eyes sparkling. "We had dinner, we had dessert, we had wine, we had conversation and we learned a lot about each other. Doesn't that happen usually on a first date?"

"I guess, yes," he said. "But you know how a first date usually ends." He raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

"Let me guess, let me guess," she said. "Hmmm. I wonder what it could be? A handshake? No, no, that is a little too pedestrian. A hug? That screams friendship."

"Nothing wrong with a hug," he replied. "Hugs are wonderful. You get all those warm, fuzzy feelings."

"Yeah, hugs are indeed that," she noted. "But maybe, there is something better. "

"Maybe," he replied. "Since we have basically come to the end of our date, shall I drive you home?"

"Yes, please," she said. "I have to come to work in the morning." They went down to the parking lot, where he got the hotel car that he had been loaned. They didn't speak much, as he drove her home but he did reach over once to hold her hand. She really liked that he wanted to hold her hand.

As they arrived at her apartment complex, he parked the car and said, "Let me walk you to your door. My mother always said a gentleman walks a lady to her door." She nodded. So hand-in-hand, he walked her to Apartment 2F. He noted the number on the door, since he was certain he would be back there, several more times.

"So here we are at the end of our date and here is the one thing that we should do at the end of our date," he said. He pushed up her face, so her lips could meet his. This kiss was certainly different from the one she had received at the basketball game. He savored the taste of her mouth, as she accepted his tongue. Cristina could feel this warm feeling overtaking her body and she felt a light buzz in her brain. Now, this was a real kiss.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. It helps to spur me on. Thanks.**


	7. Chapter 7 A Day Out

"So, are you ready?" Owen said, as Cristina opened the door of her apartment, in answer to his knocking.

"More ready for this," she said. It was her day off and they planned to spend the entire day together. First they were going to do some sight-seeing at the Vizcaya museum and gardens and then have lunch at a Coconut Grove eatery and then they planned to hit the beach, before going back to the hotel and ordering room service for dinner. It was going to be a full day of being together. They wondered if they would be able to stand each other by the end of the day.

As she closed the door, Owen heard Ryan's voice from inside of the apartment. "Have fun, kids," he said.

"Certainly will," Owen replied. They headed down to his car and they were soon on their way. "So, tell me about Vizcaya," he said.

"Well, Vizcaya is this Italian villa that was owned by this rich businessman named James Deering. Kind of like a castle in the middle of Miami. You'll like it. It was one of the first places that Ryan and I visited when we first came to Miami for college, a couple of years ago," she told him. "Plus it is in Coconut Grove, where we are going to get lunch. You will love the Grove."

"Oh, so you know Ryan from before?" he asked. He was rather fascinated by Cristina's and Ryan's relationship. It was clear to him that they were very close. He wondered if Ryan were not gay, would he and Cristina have been a couple.

She nodded. "Yup, Ryan and I have been friends since we were six years old in first grade. Now we are 21. That's like 15 years of friendship we have. So when it was time for college, I had decided to go to FIU. They have a top-rated hospitality management program there. So Ryan decided to come to Miami, too. He goes to school at the University of Miami. We haven't regretted since because we are from a small town in Wisconsin. I can tell you the Miami weather sure is better than the one we left. Imagine being able to wear shorts when our parents are freezing their tails off in winter."

"So you can call it a life-long friendship," Owen said. She nodded, emphatically.

"Certainly," she said. "Ryan is my best friend. Nobody knows me better than him. I was the first person he told when he came out, when we were 16. In fact, he was the one, who told me that I should give you a chance."

"He did?" Owen said, with a smile. "I am liking Ryan more and more. We should hang out with him before I leave."

"Yes, that would be awesome. Maybe, we can also invite his erstwhile boyfriend, Jeremy, to come along so Ryan wouldn't feel like a third wheel," Cristina said.

"Jeremy?" Owen queried. She nodded. "Yup, Jeremy. He and Ryan have broken up so many times in the three years that we have been here in Miami," she said. "I think they are on right now, so that means that we can invite them on a double date."

"Yes, I would like that," Owen said. "I really would like to get to know your best friend better. Maybe he can tell me some secrets about you." Cristina immediately smacked him on the arm. He laughed at her reaction.

"Don't you dare try to get information about me from Ryan," she shrieked. Ryan was the keeper of all of Cristina's deepest, darkest secrets. He knew many embarrassing tales about her, many of which she would not like Owen to know. She will have to ensure that Ryan keeps his damn trap shut, when they go out on their double date, she thought. Owen laughed at how uncomfortable she got. She looked so worried.

"It's okay," he said, unable to stop laughing. "I am not going to ask Ryan anything. I want you to be able to tell me about yourself, not Ryan. Because when you do, it means that you trust me enough to tell me and I want that to happen." She turned to look at him and gave him the sweetest of smiles. He was sure he could hear angels singing from the warmth of that smile.

"Hey, we are here," she said. They got a nice spot in the parking lot that wasn't too far from the entrance. For the next hour, they went through the museum and gardens, taking numerous pictures of each other and asking other tourists to take pictures of them. It was in the gardens that they shared an intimate kiss. Cristina didn't really expect it. She had been walking a little ahead of him, pointing out some of the more interesting aspects of the garden. He spun her around and captured her lips with his own, while he gently held her face in his hands. When they finally broke off, she was breathless. "I wanted to do that all morning," he said.

"Thank you," she said. "I wanted you to do that all morning, too." Her breathing came back to normal, as she stared up into his azure blue eyes.

"Why didn't you say something?" he said. "I would have done it, the minute I saw you." He stared back into the depths of her chocolate brown eyes.

"I thought it would have been too forward of me," she said. He grinned. "Never," he said. "When a beautiful girl asks you to kiss her, you certainly do her bidding."

"Okay, I will make a mental note of that. Do you want to go have lunch?" she asked. "There is a lovely patio restaurant I think you will love."

"Yes," he said, as he took her hand into his as they walked out of the gardens, together.

* * *

They sat outside on the patio deck at the restaurant. They were under a huge umbrella at their table and they had a wonderful position to people-watch the inhabitants of the Grove. With a cool drink in his hand, Owen leaned back in his chair, enjoying the warm weather. He could see how people could get used to this. It was a far cry from the weather back in London. "This is definitely the life," he said. "No wonder you and Ryan wanted to come here to school."

Cristina chuckled. "It is going to be so hard to leave, when we graduate next year. I can't imagine going back to Wisconsin, though. Certainly great to go home for the holidays but after this, I think I will have to live somewhere warm." He certainly had to agree.

* * *

After lunch, they drove to the beach, specifically Crandon Park Beach. Armed with sunscreen that was SPF100, Owen was ready for the sun. Cristina had gone to change her clothes and was returning, dressed in a cover-up. He could tell from the gauziness of her cover-up that she was wearing a blue bikini. He hoped that she would remove that cover-up soon enough, so he could see her in her bikini. She sat down next to him on the chair. "Put on some of that sunscreen on me," she commanded. She slipped off her gauzy cover-up and much to Owen's delight, he started rubbing the sunscreen on her.

"You've got good hands," she told him, as his fingers gently massaged her all over her body, while he rubbed on the sunscreen. "Thank you," he replied. "I do try."

"Magic fingers," she chuckled. "Maybe I should ask you for a massage some time in the future?"

"Certainly, I would be happy to oblige," he said. "Just name the time and the place. I will be at your beck and call. There you go, all done."

"Do you need any sunscreen? After all, you are quite pale," she said. "I would do it for you."

"Darn it," he said. "If I knew you were going to volunteer, I would have waited and didn't put any on myself." He got up and pulled her up from the beach chair. "Let's go." They ran hand-in-hand into the water.

When they had enough, they dried each other off. Owen pulled on a t-shirt and Cristina put on her cover-up back on and they made a quick trip to the hotel, where they planned to take a shower in Owen's room. They made a quick dash through the lobby to the elevators. "Come on, come on," Owen said, pressing the up button on the elevator. When they finally heard the ding of the elevator, they both said in unison, "Finally."

The elevator doors opened to reveal Cristina's supervisor, Ruben Santos. He looked more than startled to see the two of them. Cristina's hair was stiff from the sea salt and was pointing in all different directions. Owen looked rather pink. "Miss Yang, Mr. Hunt," Santos said, as he stepped off the elevator. He had a strange look on his face that Cristina got immediately worried. Cristina and Owen rushed inside the elevator.

"Do you think I am in trouble?" Cristina asked, anxiously.

"No, of course not," Owen said. "Why would you be in trouble?"

"I don't know," she said. "He kinda looked at me in a funny way." Owen knew why Santos had done so. After all, Owen was on an undercover mission and there he was, heading up to his hotel room with a junior staffer and in a very non-professional way. "Don't worry about it," Owen said.

* * *

When they got to his room, Cristina was the first to use the showers. She needed to get the salt out of her hair. The warm water felt glorious, as she shampooed her thick curly hair. It was good to remove all the stickiness of the salt water. She came out of the shower, dried herself off with a towel and then grabbed a hotel robe to cover her body. She needed to change her clothes and had brought a sundress with her. When she emerged from the bathroom, Owen could not help but smile at how cute she looked all wrapped up in a big robe. She looked fresh and clean.

"Your turn," she said. "Do you want me to order dinner?"

"Yup," he said. "Hopefully, it will get here by the time I get out of the bathroom."

"Anything in particular?" she asked, opening the room service menu.

"Order whatever you want," he said. "I am not fussy. Anything you order will be fine." He headed into the bathroom. Cristina, in the meantime, ordered the food, while she changed into her underwear and her sundress. She combed out her damp hair. She closed the bedroom door and went out the living room area of the suite. She sat down at the dining table, awaiting room service.

After taking a refreshing shower, Owen came out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel. Cristina noticed that she could get a clear view of Owen in the bedroom area, since the door was left slightly ajar. He stripped off the towel and she found herself staring at him, especially down there. She had only seen three men naked before. One of them was Ryan, when they were six, so that they didn't really count. The other two men was her high school boyfriend, who persuaded her to have sex after their senior prom, and the other was her college boyfriend, whom she had dated for two years. She knew her mouth was open, as she admired his muscled body. He was pulling up his boxer briefs and she managed to get a look at his taut ass.

Fortunately, her staring was interrupted by a knock on the suite door and a voice saying, "Room service." She was grateful. A little more again, she would have found herself drooling. She got up and opened the door to allow the server to wheel in his food service trolley. The server laid out the linen, dinnerware and flatware on the dining table. He had even brought a vase of flowers for the centerpiece. He also popped open the bottle of wine for them. Owen came out of the bedroom, fully dressed. He was wearing a shirt and shorts.

"Ah," he said. "Impeccable timing. Just got out of the shower." Cristina could not help but smile, when he said that.

Owen handed over a generous tip and the server was on his way. "Let's see what you have ordered for us." He checked all of the serving dishes. "Looks good." They were both ravenous, as they had both worked up an appetite on the beach. When it was done, they felt they could not eat anymore.

"I will clear this up and make you some coffee to settle your stomach," he said. She nodded and went to sit on the couch. He cleared up the table and made the coffee for her. He brought across the coffee for her, only to find her fast asleep on the couch. She was certainly tired from the entire day out.

He wondered if he should carry her to his bed, so she could continue sleeping there. He was tempted to do that but he changed his mind. It was too early in their relationship for her to be sleeping in his bed. Instead, he got a blanket from the bedroom and covered her. He stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, babe," he said, before he turned off the lights and went to the bedroom.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you do so, since I don't feel like writing much these days. Have a great day.**


	8. Chapter 8 Lies

Cristina woke up with a start. Where the heck was she? She remembered her day-long date with Owen, yesterday. She obviously had to be sleeping on the couch in his suite because she didn't remember going home. She sat up and stretched. Then, she caught sight of the clock on the wall.

"Oh, my God. I am late for work," she shrieked. She found her shoes and bolted out of the door. It was only when she was halfway down the elevator, she realized that she hadn't told Owen that she was leaving. "Oh, shoot," she said to herself. She figured she would talk to him, later, but she needed to get to the front desk, as quickly as possible. She ran to the locker room, pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste. She was grateful that there was a fresh, clean uniform in there.

Her mouth felt yucky and she remembered she had fallen asleep, the night before, without brushing her teeth. Gross, she thought. She rushed to brush her teeth, twice. She needed to ensure that her breath was fresh and clean. After all, she had to be facing guests all day.

She quickly changed into her uniform and was still tucking her shirt in her skirt, when she rushed out to the front desk. Juanita was already there.

"Where have you been?" Juanita said. "Good thing it has been light so far. Just a few people checking out."

"I am so sorry that I am late," Cristina said. "I wasn't at home, so I didn't hear my usual alarm to wake me up."

"What? You weren't at home! Is there something juicy you need to tell me?" Juanita said, cocking her head to the side. She had the most mischievous grin on her face.

"Well, if you must know, Owen and I had a day-long date, which ended in his hotel suite," Cristina said, chuckling.

"What? What? What? Tell me everything," Juanita demanded. "Give me all of the dirt."

"Wait, before you get the wrong idea, let me clarify something. I may have ended up in his hotel suite, last night but Owen and I did not sleep together," Cristina said. She could see the disappointment in Juanita's face, which made Cristina burst out laughing.

"Oh, Juanita, I still had a great time, even though we didn't sleep together," Cristina said. "We went to Vizcaya, then we had lunch in Coconut Grove and then, we hit the beach, before coming back to the hotel and we ordered room service for dinner. I fell asleep on his couch. I woke up this morning with a blanket on me. I had to get out of there because I was late for work. I hope he comes by later, so I could tell him why I had to leave."

* * *

Owen woke up with a smile on his face. He had such a wonderful time, yesterday and the reason, that he had a great time, was asleep on his couch. He got up, used the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He wondered if she would like to have breakfast with him down in the restaurant. He changed out of his pajamas and combed his hair. He was ready to face the day with Cristina. He opened the door and said, "Hey, sleepyhead, time to get up."

There was no answer, so he walked across to the couch to find that she was gone. The blanket was still there but no Cristina. "Hmm," he said. Where had she gone? He wondered why she had rushed out of there without telling him anything. That was rude, he thought. He was more than a little peeved. He figured he might as well get breakfast because he was hungry.

When he reached the lobby, he looked across at the front desk and saw Cristina dealing with a guest. Ah, that was why she had disappeared. He was no longer peeved. She had to go to work. He was sure she hadn't had anything to eat that morning, so he was going to get breakfast first and then pick up a few croissants and a coffee for her.

* * *

Forty five minutes later, he emerged from the restaurant, armed with two coffees to go and a paper plate with ham and cheese croissants. "Hey, there is Owen," Juanita said. "And it looks like he is coming this way."

Indeed, he was. Cristina gave him a brilliant smile when she saw him. She was so happy to see him.

"Good morning, ladies," Owen said.

The two girls answered with a good morning of their own. "You disappeared on me this morning," he told Cristina. "I thought we could have gone to breakfast together."

"Oh, I am sorry about that," she told him. "Since I wasn't at home, I didn't have my alarm to wake me up so I could get up to go to work. I got here a little late but Juanita covered for me."

"I figured as much and I am sure you didn't have anything to eat this morning, so I brought you a plate with some croissants and coffee," he said. He handed her a coffee and the plate and also handed over a coffee to Juanita. "When you get a break, maybe you can eat the croissants."

"Thank you so much. That is very thoughtful," Cristina said. She was quite hungry and her stomach had been making some embarrassing sounds. Juanita also offered her thanks.

"Um, do you want to go out this evening?" he asked. "After your shift ends, maybe."

"Okay," Cristina replied. "You can meet me here in the lobby after five. What are you going to do today?"

"Oh, I just have to meet someone," Owen said. The person he had to meet was Ruben Santos. He was going to observe Mr. Santos for about two hours that morning.

"Alright," Cristina said. As Owen walked away, she found herself admiring how his jeans hugged his butt. She smiled to herself as she remembered how his butt looked when it was bare.

"Why are you smiling like a Cheshire cat, Cristina?" Juanita asked, observing the slightly goofy expression on her friend's face.

"Nothing," Cristina responded. "Just a pleasant memory." She continued to smile.

* * *

Owen knocked on Mr. Santos' office. "Come on in," Santos said. Owen opened the door and stepped inside.

"Ah, Owen, good to see you," Ruben said. "So I guess you are here to observe me at work."

"Yes," Owen said. "I will be taking copious notes." He took out his laptop from his shoulder bag.

"So I was thinking that maybe, I will explain how I start my day and then, we can go on from there, Ruben said. "But before we start, there was something I would like to discuss with you." Owen knew that it was coming. Ruben wanted to discuss Owen's relationship with Cristina.

"Yes?" Owen answered, a little defiance was evident in his voice. He was totally prepared to defend himself and his choices.

"It is about my assistant, Cristina. As we are both aware, I did see the two of you yesterday, stepping into the elevator. I could tell that you seemed to be spending a lot of time with her," Ruben said. "Do you think that is wise, given your mission here? I know the girl is quite attractive but she is still only a junior member of staff. Will this not affect your assignment here?"

"I can assure you that Cristina is completely unaware of the reason of why I am here. She thinks I am just here on holiday. I told her I work for a travel company, looking to investigate and develop new packages for my firm," Owen said.

"So you lied to her?" Ruben said, shaking his head.

"Um, well, sort of," Owen admitted, sheepishly. "Lockhart does indeed have a travel company but as we both know, I do not work for that subsidiary. It was the only thing I could think of, when she asked me what I did."

"Well, Owen, if you hadn't been socializing with her, then you wouldn't have been asked that question at all and you wouldn't have had to lie," Ruben said, shaking his head. He sometimes didn't understand these young people. "So I assume you are going to continue with this tall tale, until you leave. There is a bigger picture to which we must both abide."

Owen nodded. He felt so guilty. He hated that he was lying to Cristina, especially since he liked her so much.

"Okay," Ruben said. "I hope you know what you are doing. I am sure your mother would not appreciate this turn of events." Owen could feel his hackles rise at the mention of his mother.

"Again, Ruben, I want to assure you that nothing is going to affect this assignment," he said, firmly. Ruben nodded but still had a worried look on his face.

* * *

Cristina waited for Owen in the lobby. She had changed into her street clothes. Owen stepped out of the elevator and spotted her, immediately. He appreciated her rounded derriere in her tight jeans. "Cristina," he called out to her. She turned around and grinned, happily at him. He came up and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The middle of the lobby was not the place for any long, lingering kiss.

"Hey, I thought we could go by and pick up Ryan and Jeremy at the apartment and maybe, go somewhere casual and grab something to eat," she said.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," he said. "Gives me a chance to get to know Ryan a bit better. After all, he is the one person who knows you best in the world." She gave him a quizzical look.

"Okay, but remember, don't think you're going to get any secrets out of him," she said. "He has already been warned." Owen laughed.

They headed out of the hotel, jumped in his car and drove to Cristina's apartment. They were already up on the second floor, when the door of Cristina's apartment suddenly opened and a tall, blonde, young man came out, slamming the door.

He was so angry that he didn't even notice that Cristina and Owen coming up the corridor. She grabbed his arm. "Jeremy, what's the matter?"

"Oh, my God, your roommate is driving me nuts, Cristina. He is in there, throwing a hissy fit, right now. I couldn't take it anymore, so I am leaving," Jeremy said. "Sorry about tonight. I know you were planning to do a double date. Maybe, some other time, when Ryan is not acting like this."

"Okay," Cristina said. "Take care, Jeremy." Jeremy nodded and continued on his way out of the building.

"Ooh, looks like they had a fight, again," Cristina told Owen. "This is not going to be pretty, Owen." She opened her door to reveal Ryan sitting on the couch with tears in his eyes.

"Oh, honey," Cristina said, running to him and sitting down next to him. She stroked his back, soothingly. Ryan rested his head on Cristina's shoulder, unable to speak for the moment. Then, all of a sudden, he stood up. "I am so angry with him, Cristina," he said.

"What happened?" she said, with a sympathetic tone in her voice. Over the last three years, she had listened to Ryan's woes about his relationship with Jeremy. They usually argued and then, they came back together. She assumed that this time would not be any different.

"I am done with him. So done," Ryan said, starting to pace up and down the living room area. Owen leaned against the kitchen counter, hoping to look inconspicuous.

"What did he do, now?" Cristina asked her roommate.

"He lied to me, Cristina. Flat out lied to me," Ryan said. "How can he expect us to have a relationship when he is dishonest? Trust is the basis of any relationship and how can he expect us to continue as normal, as if nothing happened."

Owen gulped, becoming even more aware of his own predicament. He could not deny the parallels of Ryan's and Jeremy's issue and the one he had with Cristina. He began to feel even worse about everything.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and reviews. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It gives me the incentive to continue. **


	9. Chapter 9 The Truth About Me

"Okay, so tell me what happened?" Cristina asked Ryan, who took in a deep breath before he finally spoke. He looked at Cristina with the saddest of puppy-dog eyes.

"Do you remember the last time that Jeremy and I broke up?" Ryan said. Cristina nodded. Of course she remembered. He was a wreck then, too.

"That was about three weeks ago, I recall. I mean you guys split so many times that it is hard to keep track," she said. Ryan glared at her. She knew when to shut up.

"If you would allow me to continue," he said. Cristina rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, Jeremy told me that he hadn't dated anyone on our break. I found out from our friend, Damian, that he saw Jeremy hooking up with some guy at that bar on the beach. So I confronted him about it because he had told me that he wasn't with anyone. He was really shifty about it until he finally came clean about it and told me that it had indeed happened. How could he do that?"

"Um, you were broken up," Cristina said, knowing that was not going to comfort Ryan.

"What? You are supposed to be on my side, Cristina Yang. You are my best friend," Ryan said, shooting her a hurt look.

"Okay, okay, I am always on your side, Ryan, you know that. I was just trying to point out that you two were on a break," Cristina said. "Things can happen when you are on a break."

"No, no," he said. "You are supposed to save yourself until you get back with your boyfriend and especially, if you know that you are probably going to get back together. "

"Okay, Ryan, whatever you say. So what is it that bothers you more? That he hooked up with some guy or that he lied to you?" Cristina asked.

Ryan paused for a minute. "Actually, both," he said, finally. "He had the audacity to lie to my face that he did not date anybody while we were apart. I mean, seriously."

As Owen listened to Ryan complain about his boyfriend, he felt that his own transgression was clearly not as bad as what Jeremy had done. Owen reasoned to himself in his mind. Jeremy had been with someone else and had lied about it. Owen had just told a little lie because he needed to protect the integrity of his assignment. No one except management was supposed to know about his mission so that the main staff would continue to act and operate as normal. Yes, yes, yes, he thought. Surely, she would be able to understand that.

He also debated whether he should tell her that he was Elinor Lockhart's son; that the chairman and founder of Hotel Lockhart was his mother. He decided as soon as he had finished his assignment and written up his report, he was going to come clean with Cristina. He was going to tell her the whole truth. He let out a breath and smiled to himself. It was as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Cristina heard him let out that breath and looked around at him. He had this curious self-satisfied smile on his face. She wondered what that was all about. She could ask him later, she thought. It was Ryan, who needed her attention, right now.

"So, honey, Owen and I were going to grab something to eat. Do you want to come with us?" she asked. Ryan gave her the most mournful of expressions.

"No," he said. "I won't be good company. I will also feel like the third wheel. I know both Jeremy and I were supposed to go out with you guys on a double date. If I am there, it would just remind me of everything. I think I will just stay home and try and catch up with some sleep. However, if you bring me something so I can have as a midnight snack, I wouldn't refuse." He gave her a tiny smile and Cristina rewarded him with a huge hug.

"Anything for my best friend," she said. She looked up at Owen. "I guess we better get going, Owen. Let's give Ryan some alone time." They left the apartment and walked back to their car.

When they were on their way to the restaurant, Owen asked, "So he's going to be alright?" Cristina shrugged her shoulders.

"Right now, he is feeling pretty low," Cristina said. "But they have been able to work through their problems before. He has to understand that what happened with Jeremy took place when they were apart. But I think the fact that Jeremy lied about it made it worse. If I think about it, if Jeremy had told him the truth, Ryan would have been upset but probably not to the extent that he is now."

Owen pursed his lips. "So don't you think that there are times when a lie may be necessary?" he asked. Cristina paused and thought about it.

"I guess it all depends. I mean there is the little white lie that people tell – the one when you don't want to hurt someone else's feelings," she offered. "Like when you don't like your friend's hair or dress and you tell them that they look fine when they don't. I can understand that."

She cocked her head to one side. "Of course, there are the ones that are a little bit bigger like when you lie to to a guy in a bar about your name and your number when you don't want him to call you." She had a cheeky grin as she said it, so he wondered if she had told that one before. She probably had, he figured.

She continued, "Then there are the truly huge whoppers – the ones that break a trust and lead to betrayal. You know when you believe something about that person and they turn out to be something else. Those are the ones that can really hurt."

Owen stared intently at the road ahead of him. He swallowed hard.

* * *

The next few days were some of the most wonderful for Cristina and Owen. He would spend his day, working on his undercover assignment. They would meet for lunch and then later in the day, when she got off work, they would go hang out with each other. They didn't really need to do anything fancy. They just wanted to be together. Sometimes, the date would end in making out – lots and lots of making out.

His time in Miami was soon coming to an end and neither of them wanted to face it.

It was the day before he was going to leave when he got up early that morning. He had ordered breakfast room service because he wanted to finish his report. When he finished his final sentence, he was so relieved. He read it over and then emailed the report to his mother. He felt so free. He wanted to tell Cristina everything – what he was doing here and who he really was.

He arranged with room service to set up dinner in his room for the two of them. He carefully chose their menu and asked for the finest champagne. He wanted tonight's dinner to be perfect. He then called the front desk.

Juanita answered, "Front Desk. How may I help you?"

"Hey, Juanita, can I speak to Cristina, please?" he asked, cheerily.

"Sure," Juanita said, as she handed over the phone to her friend. "It's Owen."

"Hey," Cristina said. "What's up?"

"Well, just wanted to remind you to come up to my room tonight," he said. "Be here by 7 sharp. I will have room service set up everything by then."

"Okay but I didn't forget. I brought a really nice dress. It is hung up in the locker room," Cristina said. "I am really looking forward to it."

"Me, too," he said. "I will see you then."

"Yes," she said. "Bye." They hung up the phone at the same time.

"So is tonight the big night?" Juanita asked. She raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Cristina said with a big smile.

"You know?" Juanita said, a little exasperated. "Are you going to sleep with him? He is going back to the UK, tomorrow."

"Maybe," Cristina said, coyly. "Oh, what the heck, who am I fooling? Yes, I think so. I even brought the sexy underwear."

"Whoohoo!" Juanita exclaimed. "Action tonight!" Then, she stopped her celebration. "What are you guys going to do? About your relationship? He's going back tomorrow."

"We're thinking of trying it long distance," Cristina said. "Maybe I can visit London. I have never been there before."

"Really? That is pretty hard," Juanita said. From experience, she knew that long distance could really break a relationship.

"I know but I think he is worth it," Cristina told her friend. "We really like each other. I haven't liked a guy this much since Theo. He just makes me feel happy and I think that it is worth having. "

"Good for you," Juanita said. She was happy for her friend.

"Yes," Cristina replied. "Good for me."

* * *

Later that evening, after she had taken a shower and brushed her teeth in the bathroom off the locker room, she put on her sexy lingerie that she had bought especially for this occasion. She rubbed some lotion on her legs and arms and then slipped on her strapless white dress. She had a little bit of a tan, so the dress looked fantastic against her golden skin. She brushed out her raven curls, so they would fall lush against her bare shoulders. She did her make-up and then, finally her favorite perfume on all her pulse points. She felt sexy, empowered and ready.

With a final look, she made her way to the elevator and up to the penthouse floor. She made the short walk to Owen's door and knocked. She didn't have to knock twice since Owen opened the door, almost immediately.

"Wow," he said, as she stepped into the room. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you," she said. "I feel beautiful so I am glad that you find me beautiful."

"You are a vision," he said, admiring her from her head to her feet.

"And so is the room," she replied. "You made them go all out with all of the flowers everywhere and the lights on the plants."

"Yes, I wanted it to be special, since it is my last night here," he said, a little ruefully. He was quite sad to be leaving because the last two weeks were some of the most enjoyable days he had ever had in his entire life.

"Champagne?" he asked. She nodded, as he poured the champagne and handed her the glass. He poured out a glass for himself. She took a sip and sneezed when the bubbles tickled her nose. He laughed because it was so cute and endearing.

"Let's eat," he said. "It's a special meal that I worked out with the chef at the hotel. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure," she said. Over the next two hours, they ate their five-course meal. Cristina was a little worried that they would eat too much and be too full for the amorous activities she had planned to end the night. But the food was too delicious for her to pass up. When they were finally through with the meal, he took her out on the balcony to watch the ocean.

"It's so pretty, tonight," she said. "It is a clear night. Look at how big and beautiful the moon is." He wasn't looking at the moon but at the delight on her face. He felt the need to kiss her. He placed his thumb and his index finger to gently turn her face towards him. He claimed her lips and used his tongue to push them apart. They stood there kissing for what seemed to them like an eternity. It was just the two of them with the moon and the stars as their backdrop.

When they stopped kissing, Cristina stared deeply into his eyes. "I want to be with you," she said, hoping that he would understand what she was trying to say.

"I want to be with you, too," he said. "So much." She burst out laughing then kissed him twice. It pleased him, greatly that she wanted to make love but he knew there was something that he had to do first.

"So shall we go to your bedroom?" she said, enthusiastically. She pointed her head in the direction of his bedroom.

"Yeah, we shall but there is something I need to tell you," he said. He was a little bit nervous and he hoped that she would understand.

"I guess there is no easy way to say this but to just say it. I am not exactly who you think I am," he said. "Remember when I told you that I worked in the travel industry. Well, that was not exactly the whole truth. While I do work for a company that has a subsidiary in the travel industry, I don't work for the subsidiary. The company that I work for is this one." He waved his arms around.

"This one what?" she asked, puzzled. "The hotel? You work for the hotel?"

"Yes," he said. "I work for the hotel at the head office in London. I was sent here to do a job. "

"What job?" she asked. He could recognize that she had a suspicious tone in her voice.

"My job, my assignment was to evaluate the hotel to learn why it is one of the most successful establishments in the chain. I was sent here to observe and evaluate the policies, procedures and operations of this particular hotel. I have been observing staff and managers in their natural environment. The managers knew about my presence but not the main staff. We felt that it was better this way so that the staff would not act out of the ordinary in my presence," he said.

"So you have been observing me?" she said. "When?"

"Last week, when I was sitting in the sofa in the lobby, when you were checking in the guests for the global convention," he said. She distinctly remembered an unsmiling Owen sitting behind his laptop on the sofa. That was when he had thought that she had been cheating on Ryan.

"So are you still observing me?" she asked, her voice felt tight in her throat.

"No, I am not. I have written my report and submitted, already," he said.

"So everything has been a lie?" she said, her voice shaking. He watched as her expression changed from hurt to anger.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them. Happy Sunday!**


	10. Chapter 10 Aftermath of the Truth

"Well, not everything," Owen said. "Not the way I feel about you. That is certainly very real." He put his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes, hoping that she would understand.

Cristina was angry. She was too angry to even think straight at the moment. She removed his hands from her arms, marched into the living room and picked up her purse, as she headed to the door.

"Wait, Cristina, there is something else I need to tell you about me; about who I really am," he said. He wanted to tell her that Elinor Lockhart was his mother. She turned around with a disgusted look on her face.

"There's more that you've been lying about?" she shrieked. "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't need to know. I don't want to know." She opened the door, took a final look at him and then slammed it shut. He wanted to run after her but he knew it would be of no use. She was an extremely stubborn girl and talking to her at this moment would not be fruitful. She needed to cool off. He was willing to give her the time but since he was leaving in the morning, he didn't have much time. He hoped that she would think it through before he left.

Cristina went down the elevator and her eyes were hot with tears. How dare he lie to her like that? All of the time that they were dating, he was keeping secrets from her. Worse yet, he had been evaluating her performance. Suppose he wrote bad stuff about her and it affected her final evaluation from the hotel. It could affect her grade for the course. She couldn't bear to think about it.

She asked the doorman to get her a taxi to take her home. When she got home, she wearily went up the stairs and opened the front door of the apartment. She kicked off her shoes, brushed her teeth and changed into an old t-shirt. She lay in her bed, crying for a bit. She couldn't sleep so she did the only thing that she knew that would make her feel better. She left her bedroom, went to Ryan's room and crawled under the covers with him. He stirred a bit, when he felt the movement in his bed.

"Cristina?" he said.

"Yeah, it's me," she said. He turned around and eyed her, curiously.

"I thought you were going to stay the night at the hotel, given that it is Owen's last night here," he said. "So what are you doing home?"

"Owen lied to me," she said, softly. "It's a good thing I found that out before I slept with him."

"Oh," Ryan said, sympathetically. "Sorry about that. I know exactly how you feel. Do you want to talk about it? I can listen, even though I am a little bit sleepy."

"No, it's okay. I have been through it over and over in my mind," she said. "There really isn't much to talk about. I just want to stay here with you. "

"Alright," he said. "If it makes you feel better, you can spoon me." She nodded. He turned away from her, so she could curve her body to fit his.

"Just don't hog the blankets," she warned.

He laughed a little bit. "Just because you're feeling so down, I will definitely not hog the blankets, even though they are mine," he said.

It was all quiet, until Cristina whispered, "You're a good friend, Ryan."

He murmured, "Always." Though it was hard to fall asleep, she eventually did.

* * *

Owen woke up the next morning, still feeling very tired. He had been very restless, listening and hoping that his phone would ring. But it never did. He was feeling really depressed, now. He took a shower, brushed his teeth and got ready to leave. He packed up his toiletries and looked around to see if he had left anything behind. He then took the short walk to the elevator and then, down to the lobby. He hoped that Cristina would be at the front desk. It was more than likely his last time to speak to her before he left for London.

He was sorely disappointed as he approached the desk and found only Juanita there.

"Are you checking out, Owen?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Is Cristina around?"

"Um, no," Juanita said. "She called in sick, today. I am actually just waiting for her replacement." Owen noticed that Juanita did not look up at all, when she said this. It was like she was trying to avoid all eye contact with him. He handed her the room key card.

"Thank you," Juanita said. "You're all set, now. Thank you for visiting us here at Hotel Lockhart. We hope that we are your choice when next you visit Miami."

"Yeah, thanks," Owen said. "Could you tell Cristina that I asked for her?" Juanita nodded. She felt so sorry for Owen. She knew that Cristina and Owen had a fight the night before and the night had not ended the way that Cristina had anticipated. She did not know why the argument took place as Cristina had not enlightened her about the details of what went down between the two of them.

"I will," Juanita said. She watched as he walked out of the hotel and stepped into a taxi. As soon as he was gone, she dialed Cristina's number. When she heard her friend answer, Juanita said, "Yeah, I did your dirty work for you. He has checked out. Just saw him step into a taxi. He is gone."

"Thanks, Juanita," Cristina said.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Juanita asked. "The man looked so down, so forlorn. He said to tell you that he asked for you. What did you do to him?"

"I will tell you later," Cristina said. "I am just glad that he is gone. See ya." She hung up the phone and tucked it back into her handbag.

"So I gather that he is gone from your phone conversation," Ryan said. Cristina nodded. She and Ryan were having breakfast at the same outdoor café that she and Owen had gone to for lunch, the previous week. "So are you ready to tell me what happened?" he asked.

"I guess I should. Owen gave me the impression that he was on vacation. He told me that he worked for a travel firm and was just investigating the possibility of creating a new travel package for his clients. Last night, I was getting all romantic and dropping these very loud hints that I wanted to sleep with him and then, he tells me that he has something to tell me before we take that next step. Turns out Owen works for Hotel Lockhart's head office in London and he was actually evaluating the hotel and its staff. So all of the time that he was with me, he was actually evaluating my performance.

"He said it had been decided that the main staff could not know about his presence because it could affect the way they performed in front of him. You know what? I am not just a member of the main staff. I was the girl he was dating – the one he was holding hands with and the one he kissed every day. Don't you think he could have told me the truth the number of times he had his mouth on mine?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. Ryan could tell that Cristina was still upset by the way her lip was quivering as she spoke.

"Well, Cristina, I know that you're upset but to me, it looks like hands were tied. He couldn't tell you because he had an assignment to complete. From his point of view, it probably wasn't fair to tell you, when the others didn't know. Besides, telling you could have compromised his whole assignment. He probably didn't want to lie to you but he had no choice. At least, he told you before he slept with you. He wanted to be honest with you. That's the kind of guy he is. He is certainly better than Jeremy, I can tell you that," Ryan said. Cristina glared at him. She hated when Ryan was being so rational like this.

"But….but…I just wasn't anybody," she protested. "I was the girl he was dating." She folded and re-folded the napkin in front of her.

"Yeah, I get that, Cristina," he said. "I know you're angry and hurt about that. But I have to say that he seems to be a real stand-up kind of guy. He knew he had to be honest with you before you shared yourself with him."

"He had something else to tell me, too," she said, softly. "He said there was something I needed to know about who he was. But I was too angry to listen. I ran out of there."

Ryan sighed. "I seriously think that you should give this guy another chance," he said. Cristina looked unsure. "You like the guy, don't you?" he added.

"Yes, really, really like him," Cristina said. "So if I am supposed to give Owen another chance, why don't you give Jeremy another chance?"

Ryan let out a huge sigh. "It is just so hard for me to forgive Jeremy, right now. I think we both need some time and space. But in comparison, what Jeremy did is far worse than what Owen did. While I think you should give the guy another chance, I will support you in whatever you decide."

Cristina chewed on her buttered toast but she barely tasted it. She sipped on her tea, as she pondered what to do. Ryan knew that she was thinking so he did not make any attempt to converse. It was no point disturbing her, as she was not likely to reciprocate with an answer.

As she pushed the last bit of egg and bacon in her mouth, she suddenly stood up. It was as if she had made up her mind about something. She went to the cashier, paid the bill and anxiously stood at the exit door. She signaled to him to hurry up.

"Why are you taking so long?" she said. "We have to go."

"Go where?" Ryan asked.

"To the airport," she said. "Maybe we can catch Owen at the airport and he can tell me what it is that he wanted to say."

"Alright," Ryan said. They ran out to the parking lot and jumped into his car. "MIA, here we come."

It was all smooth sailing to the airport until they came upon some road works. "Oh, no!" Cristina screamed. She looked at her watch. "Ryan, how long is this going to delay us?"

"I don't know," he said. "It's not like we have an alternative route. We're almost there and this road construction is a total pain in the ass." Cristina screamed in annoyance.

After a total of 45 minutes of fretting and cursing in a traffic jam, the frustrated duo finally made it through the road construction. Ryan dropped off Cristina at the terminal. "I am going to park and meet you inside," Ryan said. But Cristina was already gone, running into the terminal and trying to make a phone call at the same time.

Ryan parked his car in the parking lot and finally made his way to the terminal. There, he found Cristina, standing in front of a Departures electronic board. She had her phone in her hand and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked, putting his arm around her. Even though he asked, he had already figured out why she was crying.

"We're too late, Ryan. The plane left 10 minutes ago," she said, pointing to Owen's flight. "He's gone." She turned and buried her face on Ryan's shoulder. "He's gone," she repeated.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It helps in the writing process.**


	11. Chapter 11 Home Again

When Owen stepped out of Heathrow, he was further reminded that he was no longer in Miami. The weather he had left in Miami had been hot and muggy, while the weather in London was indeed cooler and it seemed that there was a touch of rain in the air.

"Yes, Owen, you are no longer there," he told himself. "There" was Miami – that was where he left his heart. He had blown it with Cristina. She probably never wanted to hear or see him again. His soul was aching.

He saw the familiar face of his family chauffeur waiting for him. "Byron, so good to see you," he said, greeting the man.

"Good to see you, sir. You're looking well. So you enjoyed your trip to Miami?" Byron asked, opening the back door of the car for Owen.

"Yes, in many ways, I did. It didn't particularly end the way that I hoped," Owen said. "But in terms of my assignment there, it was a very satisfactory exercise." He got in the back seat and waited as Byron placed his suitcase in the trunk.

Byron slipped into the driver's seat. He turned around. "I have instructions from your mother to bring you around to her house. She would like to see you. She said you can spend the night at her house."

"That's fine, Byron," Owen said. "I expected this. Is Laura going to be there?" Laura was Owen's younger sister. She was 23 and half-Italian, a product of a relationship that Elinor Lockhart had, after she had divorced Owen's father. Laura, who had the last name of Facinelli, had been a total surprise to Elinor, since her relationship with Laura's father was brief and lasted only a few months. Owen with his reddish blonde hair and blue eyes was a sharp contrast to Laura, who had very dark hair and dark eyes, like her Italian father. Nobody would even believe that they were even remotely related. Laura lived with their mother.

"Yes, Miss Laura is there, too," Byron said. Owen groaned a little. He was in no mood for conversation, since he was feeling so down. He just wanted to crash in bed and forget his sorrows for a bit. As the car headed to Knightsbridge, he lay back in his seat and remembered Cristina's face. He didn't even notice when they pulled up in front of his mother's house.

"Well, there you go, sir," Byron said. "I will park in the garage and bring in your suitcase. So go ahead. Your mother is waiting." Owen reluctantly got out of the car and opened the front door of the house. He headed straight to the study because he knew that where his mother would be. Even though she was not in the office, his mother still continued to work at home. He knocked on the door and heard her melodious Scottish voice, "Come in, Owen."

He opened the door. "How did you know it was me, Mother?" he said, as he entered. He went straight to her and gave her a kiss on her soft cheek. Elinor Lockhart was an elegant woman with auburn hair and green eyes. She had touches of grey in her auburn hair.

"Who else would be knocking at my door at this time?" she said. "Besides, I timed Byron picking you up at the airport and bringing you here, so I knew it would be you. So how was your trip?"

"It was fine," he said. He felt no need to go into the details about Cristina.

"Good, good," she said. "I read your report. Quite fascinating. Loved your analysis of the place but we have lots of time to discuss it in the morning. I am certain that you are tired. Your old bedroom is ready for you. I had Thomas prepare it for you."

"Thanks, Mother. I guess I will probably go to bed, now," he said.

"Yes, yes, we will chat in the morning. There is something very important that I need to speak to you about. It will affect your whole career," she said. Owen was intrigued but too tired at the moment to contemplate what she was talking about.

"Good night, Mother," he said, kissing her on the cheek, again.

"Good night, son," Elinor said. She had an enigmatic smile on her face, as she watched him depart the study.

* * *

The next morning, Owen came down to breakfast. He really wanted to find out what his mother was hinting at in their last conversation. He came down to the kitchen and found his sister and mother already there.

"Hello, Laura," he said, as he kissed his sister on the cheek. "Good morning, Mother."

"Hello, Owen," Laura replied. "You went to Miami for two weeks and didn't come back with a tan."

"Well, you already know that I do not tan, unlike you," Owen said. "Plus I was wearing SPF 100. Had to save my skin from any sunburn."

"Good thinking, son," his mother said, watching him pour out a cup of tea. "I don't want to rush you but there is something I need to tell you and I want Laura to be here for it." Owen looked up at her. This must be important, he thought.

Elinor continued, "I have decided that your sister will have your flat." Owen nearly spat out his tea.

"What! Why!" he exclaimed, loudly. "Where am I going to live?" Laura gave him a mischievous grin from across the table. She was totally enjoying her brother's discomfort. He gave her a glare, which made her snicker at him.

"That's because you won't be needing it anymore," his mother said. Owen was confused. What was his mother talking about?

"Okay, Mother, please explain yourself," he said, a little bit exasperated. "Why won't I need my home, anymore?"

"Your trip to the Miami hotel was not just a fact-finding mission for you, Owen. It was for you to get familiar with the place. Rodrigo Santiago, the current general manager will be retiring at the end of August. I want you to take his place and run the hotel," Elinor said. Owen's mouth dropped open in total disbelief.

"Close your mouth, son. That is not a good look," Elinor added. Owen closed his mouth as commanded by his mother.

"But Mother, I am only 25 years old. The Miami hotel is a huge undertaking. Do you think I can handle it?" he said, a little doubtful.

"Owen, I was 20 years old when I took over Grandpa's inn in Edinburgh. I have given you the finest education that money can buy. Surely, you can show me that all that money was not wasted," Elinor said. Laura guffawed. Owen gave her a deadly stare. Sometimes, his younger sister was such a pain in the rear.

"You have been at the head office for a year, now, which has given you a good grounding on the way our company works," Elinor continued. "However, I think the best way for you to learn our core business is for you to go out there and just do the job. This is your legacy, Owen. Your last name may be Hunt but you are a Lockhart through and through. I brought you up, not your father. He may have given you his looks and stature, but I am the one who gave your brains, talent and determination."

Owen was silent for a bit, thinking about the enormity of the task that lay before him. Laura stood up and said she had to leave as she was meeting a friend in Wimbledon. She gave her mother and her brother a kiss on their cheeks before she disappeared. Owen quietly stabbed at his eggs, without really eating any of it. He was thinking about Cristina. If he went back as the general manager of the hotel, it could be his second chance with her. At the end of the summer, she would no longer be an employee but would be going back to school. It could work out, perfectly.

"Owen, is something the matter? You seem to be in a rather pensive mood," she said. "Is it all too much?"

"No, Mother, I am looking forward to the challenge. It's just something else," he said, quietly. Elinor knew her son very well and zeroed in on the one thing that something else could be.

"Did you meet a girl in Miami?" she asked. "That is the only thing that could have you acting this way," she said.

"Yes, Mother, I met a girl," he said. "It was going really well for a while, there and then, it ended in a way that I had not anticipated."

"Okay, tell your mother what happened," she said. "I want to hear. You haven't been interested in anyone since Elizabeth, so it is nice to see you going out there, again."

Owen paused. He didn't particularly relish talking about his love life to his mother. But maybe as a woman, she could help him with this one.

"Alright, Mother. Her name is Cristina Yang. She was a student, working at the hotel for the summer for a course she's doing at FIU. She was working at the front desk of the hotel. You should see her – she is fantastic. She speaks all these different languages and can handle guests, so efficiently. She is like a rock star out there. We started going out and honestly, they were some of the best times of my life.

"But there was one thing. I was there to do a job. Of course, only management knew about my real purpose for being at the hotel. None of the main staff knew about it. So Cristina is a member of the main staff and I couldn't tell her, even though we were dating. I kinda bent the truth about what I was doing at the hotel and where I worked. So the night before I left, I decided to tell her the truth and she was very furious. And that was the last I saw of her. Right now, I don't think she even wants to hear from me, again."

"Ah, so we put you in a very tight spot, Owen," his mother said, shaking her head. "Sorry about ruining your love life. But I am sure when the girl thinks this through, she will see why you couldn't tell her. Give her time, Owen. Maybe when you go back to Miami at the end of August, she would have had a better understanding and you would be able to rekindle your relationship."

"I hope so, Mother, I really hope so," he said, ruefully, as he still continued to stab his breakfast with his fork.

* * *

In the aftermath of Owen leaving Miami, Cristina was like a broken shell. She moped around the apartment so much that Ryan began to get worried about her. But her depressed state did not stop her from resuming her job at the hotel. After all, it was important to still complete the practicum for school. But the joy had left her. She felt so empty.

Ryan suggested that she call Owen in London. She shook her head. "He probably doesn't want to hear from me, after I didn't give him a chance. I think I would need to see him face to face to let him tell me what he needs to say. I owe him that. Since he lives thousands of miles away, it just isn't going to happen. It's not like I have the money to go to London, anyway. I think I should just forget him and move on."

Ryan listened to her words but he felt that was not what Cristina really wanted. She said she wanted to forget him but he knew his best friend so well. That's not what she wanted at all, he thought. If Cristina had been truthful to herself, she would know that she couldn't forget Owen.

She was so unhappy that sometimes, she would crawl next to Ryan in bed and just lay there. They didn't need to speak. All Cristina needed was Ryan's presence for comfort. It was on one of those nights that Ryan decided to hatch out his plan to help Cristina but he needed to get Juanita and their other friends in on it.

The day he turned up at the hotel, during Cristina's shift, was a total surprise for her. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Come to take me to lunch?"

"Well, no, not for lunch. Juanita and I have something to tell you," he said. He nodded to Juanita, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Juanita and I, with help from Amber and Collin and Jeremy, too, have come up with a way for you to go to London to see Owen," Ryan said, with the biggest smile ever.

"What?" Cristina said, surprised.

"Well, Jeremy will be using his frequent flyer miles to get a one-way ticket to London. Juanita, Amber, Collin and I have contributed to pay for your ticket to come back. We're also throwing in accommodations for four days and three nights. We think that will be sufficient time to get back with Owen and spend some time with him," Ryan said, triumphantly. Cristina was dumbstruck with emotion for a moment.

"Guys , you are the best friends a girl could ever have," Cristina said, the tears rolling down her face. She gave them both a hug. "Why did Jeremy volunteer his frequent flyer miles?"

"Oh, he is trying to get back into my good graces," Ryan said. "I know he has lots and lots of frequent flyer miles because he is always traveling for his job. His company pays for his flights and he gets the benefit of the frequent flyer miles. I told him if he did this for you, I was willing to talk about our relationship and maybe, get it back on track. Besides, who am I fooling? I love him."

"Oh, could you thank him for me?" Cristina said. Then, she stopped. "Oh, I just realized I can't go right now. I have to finish this practicum or I won't get a grade."

"Oh, yeah, we know that," Juanita said. "We're booking it for the end of August, when we're done here. We have that week off before school starts. So that is when you're going."

"This works out spectacularly," Cristina said. "Now, all I have to do wait out the summer and then, I am London bound. Woohoo!"

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for the reviews so please keep them coming.**


	12. Chapter 12 Surprises

Owen stepped into Miami's Hotel Lockhart, with a huge smile on his face. This was going to be his hotel – where he was totally going to make his mark. He was going to stay at the hotel until his apartment was ready. He didn't come alone on this trip back to Miami. His sister, Laura, was accompanying him. Laura had planned to be there for about a week until she headed back to London, where she was going to occupy his flat. Her aim was to get a great tan and to admire the cute boys on the beach.

"Ah, Owen," Rodrigo Santiago, the current general manager of the hotel, was there to greet him.

"Rodrigo, good to see you again," Owen said, shaking the man's hand. The two men had met the last time Owen had been there in early summer.

"So you are back to take over the place," Rodrigo said with a laugh.

"Only because you are retiring," Owen said. Laura cleared her throat. "Oh, this is my sister, Laura Facinelli. She will be here for a week. She is having a little vacation."

"Very pleased to meet you, Miss Facinelli," Rodrigo said. "I guess I will just let you check in. You are probably tired from that very long flight. Tomorrow, we will start the handing over process."

"Yes," Owen said. "Thank you for everything, Rodrigo." The two men shook hands, as Rodrigo departed. "Come on, Laura, let's check in." The two of them dragged their suitcases to the front desk, where Juanita was on duty. She was busy checking her computer screen. "I will be right with you, sir," she said.

"Juanita, how are you? You're looking well," Owen said. Juanita looked up and the shock was evident on her face.

"Owen!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You will know, when the announcement is made," he said, with a smile. "I would like to check in." Juanita eyed the tanned, dark-haired glamour girl that stood next to Owen. Did Owen bring a girlfriend with him? Poor Cristina, she thought. How dare he do this to Cristina? Juanita's lips were drawn into a thin line, as her face took on a sterner look. Owen was taken aback by the change in her expression.

"Certainly, sir," she said. Owen was surprised at her tone and her formality in addressing him. "The Presidential Suite, I take it." She quietly went about checking him in. Then, she handed him the room key. "Have a good stay with us and welcome to Miami."

"Juanita, is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, Mr. Hunt," Juanita replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, nothing. Is Cristina around?" he asked. Juanita was flabbergasted. How could he be asking about Cristina when he brought his girlfriend with him?

"No," she said. "Cristina is not here." In her mind, she added, "She's making a misguided trip to see your sorry ass in London." She felt no need to enlighten Owen about Cristina's whereabouts.

"Will she be in tomorrow?" he asked.

"No because our practicum at the hotel has ended so she won't be back, working at the hotel. I am just taking this shift today because someone was sick and they called and asked if I could fill in for the day," Juanita said, continuing in her exceedingly polite tone. Still, Owen noted the tinge of hostility in her voice.

"Oh, okay," Owen said. "Have a good day, Juanita. Let's go up to the suite, Laura."

So that was his bimbo's name, Juanita thought. She needed to call Ryan and inform him about the turn of events. As soon as Owen and Laura were out of earshot, she pulled out her phone and called Ryan. "Hey, Juanita, what's up?" he answered.

"You would never guess who just showed up at the hotel," Juanita shrieked into the phone.

"Hold on, Juanita. No need to scream," he said. "Well, since I would never guess, why don't you just tell me?"

"Owen Hunt, that's who," Juanita said.

"What!" Ryan yelled on the other end. "We just put Cristina on a flight last night. What are the freaking odds of something like this happening? They must have passed each other across the ocean, during the night."

"Well, I am kinda glad that she isn't here to see this," Juanita said. "Because he didn't come alone."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked. "He has a girl with him?"

"Yup, some tall girl with long dark hair. Real glamorous type," she said. "Poor Cristina. Pining over some guy who already moved on."

"Oh, no," Ryan said. "My poor baby. My poor best friend. All alone in London."

"That Owen Hunt is a d-bag," Juanita declared. "How could he do this to her? Are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know. Let me think. Maybe when she comes back. Let her have a couple of days of fun," he said. "Besides, she told me not to call her because of the roaming charges. I am just so disappointed in Owen. Doesn't he know that Cristina is the greatest girl ever?"

"Yeah, she is," Juanita said. "I have to go. I see some guests coming to the desk. Bye."

"Bye, Juanita. Thanks for calling," Ryan said. As he hung up the phone, he let out the longest sigh in the history of the world.

* * *

Cristina could feel the difference in the weather from the time she stepped out of the Heathrow Airport. She got a taxi and it took her to her hotel that her friends had booked for her. It wasn't the fanciest hotel in the world, nothing like the Hotel Lockhart, but it was clean and comfortable. She couldn't be fussy especially it was the kindness of her friends that allowed her to take this trip to London. She was so excited to see Owen. She wondered how surprised he would be. But it was a long trip and she needed to take a nap. Tomorrow, she would see Owen.

* * *

Owen was disappointed that Cristina was not there. Maybe he should have called first but he wanted to surprise her. As he and his sister settled down into their suite, they fought as they usually did on who would take the bigger bedroom. In the end, Owen gave it to Laura because she was only going to be there for the week and he would soon be ensconced in his own apartment. As he collapsed on to his bed, he thought about what he would do the next day. He first had to deal with Rodrigo in the morning and then, afterwards, maybe he could drive over to Cristina's apartment and see her. He wanted to tell her the good news that he was going to be the general manager of the hotel. He wanted to tell her everything about himself and who he actually was. He wanted them to start their relationship anew. Now that he was in Miami full-time, there wouldn't be an imposed time limit on their relationship. They could be together.

* * *

After his morning session with Rodrigo the next day, Owen found himself driving to Cristina's apartment. He parked his car and ran up the stairs to Apartment 2F. He knocked on the door, loudly and enthusiastically. "Coming," he heard Ryan's voice say. Ryan opened the door and was surprised to see Owen standing there. Why would he be there, when he had a new girlfriend? Ryan grew suspicious, unless he was planning to have both girls and two-time them. This Owen Hunt was more devious than he had previously thought.

"Hi, Ryan," Owen said, happily. "It is so great to see you."

"Hmmm," Ryan said, scowling. "If you're looking for Cristina, she isn't here. She has actually gone on a trip."

"A trip? To where? When will she be back?" Owen asked. He couldn't believe that his reunion was Cristina was now a couple of days in the future.

"If you must know, Owen, she went to London," Ryan said in a resigned tone.

"London? Why?" Owen was floored. Plus he was sensing the same hostility from Ryan that he got from Juanita.

"Obviously to see you," Ryan said. "She went to see you. Jeremy, Juanita, Amber, Collin and I all put up money so that she could go see you. Don't know why we even bothered." Owen was puzzled at Ryan's last statement.

"Okay, thank you," Owen said. "When she comes back, can you please tell to come see me at the hotel? I really need to speak to her."

"Yeah, sure," Ryan said, in a very flat tone. "Bye, Owen." He closed the door and thought about how hurt Cristina was going to be, when she found out that he had brought his girlfriend with him. The nerve of that guy showing up at the apartment, Ryan thought. He let out the longest groan in the history of the world.

Owen walked away from the apartment, feeling bewildered at what he had done to earn this sort of treatment from Juanita and now, Ryan.

* * *

Meanwhile, in London, Cristina had grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant. She could barely eat any of it – she was so ecstatic. She was going to the flagship Hotel Lockhart. The corporate headquarters of the hotel was next door. She took the subway to the nearest stop and walked the rest of the way. She was awed by the majestic Hotel Lockhart building but did not go in. She followed the sign that said "Corporate HQ" and went in that building, instead.

Cristina went straight to the reception desk. "Good morning, ma'am, I am here to see Mr. Owen Hunt."

The receptionist peered at her and gave her the once-over, "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Hunt?"

"No, it's a surprise," Cristina said. "I am a friend of his from the US. Just call his office. I am sure he will see me."

The receptionist looked very doubtful but she made the call, anyway. "Hello, Patricia, I have a young lady to see Mr. Hunt," she said on the phone. She paused, listening to the person on the other end. "Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me. I will put a note on the directory here." She hung up the phone and looked at Cristina.

"I am sorry but Mr. Hunt no longer works out of this office. I just spoke to his assistant, or should I say his former assistant. He has been transferred to the hotel in Miami," the receptionist said.

"What? Owen's not here and I came all the way from Miami to see him," Cristina said, exasperated. She had crossed thousands of miles to see Owen and he wasn't there. She turned to leave but a melodious Scottish voice said, "Excuse me, young lady."

Cristina turned around to see a lovely woman with auburn hair and green eyes. Her hair was lightly touched with gray. "Yes, ma'am," she answered. "How can I help you?"

"You're asking for Owen Hunt?" the woman asked. Cristina nodded.

"I came from Miami to surprise him but he isn't here. The joke seems to be on me because he is apparently in Miami," Cristina said. She sighed, loudly.

"Ah, I see," the woman said. She put out her hand for Cristina to shake. "My name is Elinor Lockhart." Cristina's mouth dropped open.

"Close your mouth, darling. It is not a good look," Elinor said. Cristina did as Elinor ordered and closed her mouth, quickly.

"I….I…I…am honored to meet you, Ms. Lockhart," Cristina finally got the words out. This woman was Cristina's aspirational figure and to meet her was totally unexpected.

"Don't leave me hanging here, darling," said Elinor, who still had her hand out. Cristina apologized profusely as she shook the older woman's hand.

"Bernice, please give Miss Cristina Yang a visitor's badge. I am taking her up to my office," Elinor said. The receptionist gave Cristina a badge, which she pinned to the front of her dress.

It was in the elevator that Cristina realized that she never told Ms Lockhart her name. She had not even mentioned it to the receptionist, when she was asking for Owen. How did Ms Lockhart know that her name was Cristina Yang?

"Ms. Lockhart, how did you know my name?" she asked. "I don't think I mentioned it in the lobby."

"I know your name because you know my son. Owen Hunt is my son," Elinor said. Cristina's mouth dropped open, once again. She was in shock.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It helps in the thinking and writing process.**


	13. Chapter 13 On Both Sides of the Ocean

"Come on in," Elinor told Cristina, who followed the older woman into a luxurious office at the very top of the building. Cristina looked around the room, impressed by the many awards that Elinor Lockhart had received over her corporate life.

"Have a seat, Cristina," Elinor said. "You don't mind that I call you Cristina? After all, I have heard so much about you over the summer that I feel like I know you." She gave the girl a warm smile as Cristina sat down in a very cushy, upholstered chair.

"Oh, I don't mind, Ms. Lockhart," Cristina said. "I look up to you. You are one of my idols. I aspire to be like you."

"Oh, isn't that wonderful to hear? You don't have to call me Ms. Lockhart. Call me Elinor," Elinor said.

"I couldn't, ma'am," Cristina said, as she put her hands to her cheeks.

"It's okay, dear. I am tired of people calling me Ms. Lockhart anyway. So tell me about yourself, Cristina. I want to find out more about you," Elinor said. "My son seems to be very enamored with you."

"He is?" Cristina said, very surprised. "The last time we saw each other, we did not leave it at the best of circumstances."

"Yes, he explained that to me, too. But you have to understand, Cristina, he was under strict orders not to let anyone on the main staff know what he is doing or else, it may have clouded his findings. I am sorry that you were caught in the middle of that," Elinor said. "As a consequence, I know your relationship with him suffered. I hope you would not judge him, too harshly."

"Yes, I know," Cristina said. "That's why I came to London, so we could make amends. My friends put together this trip for me to come. Now I am here and I find out that he has gone back to Miami. I guess I should have stayed put."

"Oh, dear. That must be such a disappointment," Elinor said. "But there is a reason that I sent him back to Miami. The fact-finding mission on the Miami hotel was just the beginning. I wanted him to become familiar with the place and everything about it. The manager at the hotel, Rodrigo Santiago, is retiring this week and I have appointed Owen as general manager."

"Wow!" Cristina exclaimed. "That is so wonderful for Owen." She did not say that she thought he was rather young for the position but given that she was in the presence of the chairperson of the organization, she felt it was not something that she should mention.

But Elinor knew exactly what she was thinking. "I know you are probably thinking that Owen might be too young for the job but I believe in dropping my children into the deep end and see whether they would sink or swim. Miami is one of our best performing hotels and I don't think that Owen would do too much damage. Besides, he is a Lockhart and we Lockharts are a tough, resilient breed."

"I am sure Owen will do very well," Cristina said and this was a sincere statement.

"I think so, too," Elinor said. "So, Cristina, we seem to have got away from what I first asked. I want you to tell me about yourself."

"There isn't much to tell. I am 21 years old, originally from a small town in Wisconsin. I am doing the hospitality management degree program at Florida International University. I am going into my last year at FIU, next week, after I go back to Miami," Cristina told Elinor.

"So you are interested in hotel management," Elinor said. "That is wonderful. Maybe you can come work for us, after you graduate from uni."

"That would be great, if there is a position available," Cristina said. "I am not going to be presumptuous." Elinor liked that the girl did not expect everything to be handed to her, even if she were to be dating the son of the founder.

"Oh, I am sure that there will be a position available. We have this management intern program, where we take in young University graduates and train them for six months before assigning them in the chain. All you have to do is apply," Elinor said. "Just before you graduate, put in your application two months before. Our next batch of management interns will start in June next year."

"I will definitely do so," Cristina said. "I have to think about the future."

The two continued to have a pleasant conversation over the next two hours that they didn't realize that it was already lunchtime. When the alarm on her phone chimed, Cristina was shocked that so much time had already passed. "Oh, goodness me, I am sorry to have taken up so much of your time," Cristina said. "I guess I should go, now."

"Nonsense, child. This has been the best two hours I have had in a long time. I am beginning to understand why Owen likes you so much," Elinor said. "Let's just go out and have lunch next door at the hotel. I am sure you would like to see the flagship."

"Oh, very much, I was admiring the exterior, this morning," Cristina said. "I was curious what it looked like on the inside. "

"Well, now here is your chance. We will have lunch together and I will give you a personal tour of the hotel," Elinor said, as she picked up her handbag. "Come on, let's go." Over the next two hours, Cristina and Elinor had a sumptuous lunch and then, she was given a grand tour of the hotel. The lobby featured a picture of Elinor's father, whose Lockhart Inn was the first place that she had managed. Cristina learned much about the rich history of the hotel chain and the Lockhart family. After it was over, she thanked Elinor for the tour and history lesson.

"So, Cristina, since my boy is not here, what are you going to do for the rest of your time here?" Elinor asked.

"Well, I basically just have the rest of today and tomorrow and then I go back home, the next day," Cristina informed Elinor.

"Then, fine, tomorrow, I will take the day off and give you a whirlwind tour of what London has to offer. That is, if you don't mind spending time with an old lady," Elinor said.

"You are not old and I would be honored and privileged if you want to do this for me," Cristina said.

"Fine, I will pick you up at your hotel at 8.30 a.m. tomorrow. Where are you staying, darling?" Elinor asked.

Cristina almost felt ashamed to say where she was staying because it was nothing compared to the Hotel Lockhart. "Um, Sundowner," she said, almost apologetically. She could see the reaction in Elinor's face.

"Well, fine. We will pick you up, tomorrow. Have a wonderful rest of the day," Elinor said, as she kissed Cristina on both cheeks.

"Thank you," Cristina replied. As Cristina walked away, Elinor smiled to herself. She could see why Owen fell for this girl. She wanted to tell her son how much she approved.

* * *

On the other side of the ocean, Owen was not having that great of a time. On the work front, things were going fine. The transition from Rodrigo to himself was going smoothly. He was greatly excited about it. While he worked, Laura was having a great time. She visited the spa and the beach to stare at the hunky guys. Then, at night, she would visit the nightclubs to meet even more hunky guys.

While Laura partied, Owen was completely friendless. Cristina was not back from London and Ryan and Juanita seemed unwilling to be in his company. He had tried to invite the both of them to dinner but they declined. He still had not figured what he had done to upset them. Ryan, in particular, was very cold towards him. He just wished Cristina would come back from London. He just wanted to be with her.

At night, he was lying on his bed, imagining that he was caressing Cristina's soft skin and kissing her full, soft lips. He could feel himself getting hardening at the thought of it. "Oh, my God, I want you so bad, Cristina," he thought. It didn't help that Laura had brought home some hunky guy from the club and they were definitely doing the dirty in the bedroom, next door to him. He covered his head with his pillow, when he heard the noises. It was absolutely the most horrid thing to hear your younger sister having sex, he thought. He would be grateful, when she went back to London.

His phone buzzed. He grabbed it off the nightstand. It was a message from his mother. "Met Cristina yesterday. She came by to the office to see you. You weren't here so she and I talked. We toured London, today. Lovely girl. I approve."

Owen shouted, "Yes, Mother. Thank you, Mother! You like my girl!" His mother liked Cristina. That was just fantastic. He was glad that they met. Then, he heard more noises again from his sister's bedroom. "Ugh, Laura. Please stop it," he said, quietly. Still, his disgust with his sister did not temper how happy he was that his mother liked Cristina.

When he woke up in the morning, he was ready for the day. Cristina would be back in Miami, today. He had grudgingly been told this by Ryan, who hadn't really wanted to share that information. He was willing the hours of the day to pass.

It was Ryan, who picked up Cristina at the airport. The two friends hugged tightly before he took her bag and placed it in the trunk. "So how was your trip, Cristina?" Ryan asked. He wanted to get the pleasantries out of the way before he told her about the girl that Owen had brought with him.

"Great, I met Owen's mother, Elinor Lockhart. She is just the greatest. You know I should have figured it out when Owen said he worked in the family business that he was related to the Lockharts," Cristina said.

"So his mom is the person who owns the whole kit and caboodle? Wow!" Ryan said. "Now that is a surprise."

"Yup, so have you seen Owen?" Cristina asked. "I am so excited to see him. He is going to take over the hotel as general manager."

"Wow! Isn't he only like 25 or something?" Ryan queried. "Isn't that kinda young for such a lofty position?"

"Well, his mom thinks he can do it and I guess she knows him best," Cristina said. "It must be so exciting for him."

"Um, Cristina, there is something that you should know about Owen," Ryan said. He wanted to break it as gently as he could. He didn't want her to get hurt but even if she did, he would be there to pick up the pieces as he always was.

She cocked her head to one side and listened. "Owen didn't come alone to Miami," Ryan said. "He brought a girlfriend with him. She's staying with him in the Presidential Suite. Tall, brunette. I haven't seen her but Juanita has. I am sorry I am the one to tell you this."

"A girl?" Cristina said, her voice shaking. "But his mother said nothing about him having a girlfriend. In fact, she said that Owen really liked me." She just couldn't believe it. She had just spent two glorious days in London and to come back to face this was just unbelievable.

"Well, maybe his mother doesn't know about this bimbo," Ryan said, shaking his head. "You know, guys can be real dogs, sometimes."

"I can't believe this," she shrieked. "I just can't believe this. Take me to the hotel, right now, Ryan. I am going to have it out with him. He brings a freaking girl to Miami! I need to give him a piece of my mind."

"That's it, Cristina. Give him hell," Ryan encouraged. "We are going to see that no-good guy. I am backing you all the way. On to the hotel we go."

Cristina was so angry; she was sure she was red in the face. Owen Hunt was going to find out exactly what she thought about him. She was so ready to do this.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and reviews. I do appreciate every time someone leaves a comment. **


	14. Chapter 14 Who the Hell is She?

**A/N: Some mature content.**

* * *

Cristina and Ryan stormed into the hotel and straight to the elevator. As the elevator hit the top floor, she marched out of it, with Ryan following her close behind.

"What are you going to say?" Ryan asked. Cristina took in a deep breath as she banged on the door. "Watch me," she told him. She was fuming.

The door was opened by a tall, glamorous brunette, dressed to go out for the night. "Yes, can I help you?" she said, peering down at the tiny Asian woman and her friend. Cristina swallowed hard. She wasn't really expecting to be confronted by the woman. All her bravado had suddenly diminished.

"Um, is Owen here?" she asked. Ryan kept staring at the tall brunette. Even though he was gay, he certainly could admire beauty when he saw it. Cristina caught him staring and smacked him on his hand.

"Yes, he is," the brunette said. "I am heading out, now. So why don't you come in?" Cristina and Ryan stepped inside the suite. "Owen, there is someone here to see you," she called out. She then headed out the door. Ryan and Cristina felt strange, having had that encounter with the tall brunette.

Owen came out of his bedroom and the delight on his face was evident. "Cristina!" he exclaimed as he ran across the room and enveloped her into a hug. "I have missed you so much. I am so happy to see you."

Cristina was not sure what was going on here. How could Owen be acting this way, when she and Ryan just met his girlfriend? She gave Ryan a puzzled look. Ryan just shrugged his shoulders. All Cristina's anger had dissipated. She was just totally confused, now.

"Oh, hey Ryan," Owen said, acknowledging the presence of Cristina's friend. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Ryan answered. Owen released Cristina from his embrace.

"Ryan's not staying," Cristina said, firmly, giving her friend a look, which he immediately recognized. He knew she wanted him to get out of there.

"Yeah, I am on my way," Ryan said. "Call me if you need anything." She nodded. She knew that if she became an emotional mess, Ryan would be back for her to take her home.

As Ryan left, she looked at Owen, who, it seemed, could not stop smiling at her. That was certainly strange behavior for a man, whom she had just caught with another woman in his room.

"My mom said she met you and she really, really likes you," Owen said. "I am really glad."

"Um, yes. Your mother is a fantastic human being," Cristina told him. "I really, really liked her, too. She gave me a tour of the flagship hotel and a tour of London. That was extremely nice of her, since she didn't really know who I am."

"Yes, I talked about you enough over the summer," Owen said. "She said she was very pleased to meet you."

Cristina was now totally perplexed. Who was the tall brunette staying in Owen's room? Why wasn't he addressing that situation?

"So I gather that you are very happy to see me," she said.

"Of course I am," he told her with a huge grin. He took her hand and pulled her to the sofa, so they could both sit. "When Mother told me that she was appointing me as general manager of the Hotel Lockhart here, I just couldn't believe it. Of course, I was nervous about the challenge but most of all, it meant that I could come back here and we could start again. It was like a second chance for me and you. After all, it ended so badly, when I was last here. I am still so very sorry about that but I had no choice at the time."

"Yes, your mother explained that," Cristina said. "I had a lot of time to think about it over the summer. I forgave you a long time ago. But I thought you deserved to hear it from me, face to face. So my friends put together this trip for me to go to London to see you. Well, you know how that worked out, since you came here, instead. Apparently, we were like two ships that passed in the night. Or more aptly, two planes that passed each other in the air."

"Yes, that was unfortunate," he said. "But it doesn't matter. You're here, now." He took her hand and interlocked fingers.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore. If you are here for me, then who the hell is she?" Cristina shrieked.

"What are you talking about?" Owen asked, one eyebrow cocked upwards.

"The brunette, who is staying with you. The one who looked down at me, when she opened the door," she said. "Miss Glamour Puss herself. Long brunette hair, legs up to there, perfectly made-up face."

"Laura?" Owen said. Then, he burst out laughing. "You're asking about Laura? You think she's my girlfriend?" Cristina was mad. She didn't quite expect that reaction. Why was he laughing at her?

"I don't think this is funny at all," she said. She got up to leave. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back on the sofa.

"Cristina, you don't have anything to worry about. Laura is my sister," he said, trying to control his chuckles.

"Your sister?" Cristina was relieved to hear that the woman was his sister but she was also a little shocked. "But she doesn't look anything like you. You're so fair and she's so dark."

"We have different fathers. My father is Louis Hunt and her dad is Stefano Facinelli. After my mother and father got divorced, she became involved with Laura's dad. Even though they broke up, my mother had Laura and raised her by herself. According to my mother, we both take after our fathers in terms of our coloring and our looks," he said. "So that is why we don't look a thing like each other."

"Oh," was all Cristina could say. She had been so full of bluster while she and Ryan were in the car on their way there. But now, she had completely simmered down.

"Did you come here, all ready to accuse me of having a girlfriend?" he asked. She nodded, sheepishly.

"Ryan told me that Juanita had said that you had checked in with a brunette woman and I was ready to confront you about it," she said, softly. She felt a little embarrassed.

"Now I get it," Owen said. "Juanita and Ryan have been giving me the cold shoulder the past couple of days. I invited them out to dinner and they both refused. Now, I understand what was going on here. Please inform your friends that I was not having a torrid affair with a brunette and that the brunette is my sister."

"I will," Cristina said. He took her face into his hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Don't you know that I only want to be with you?" he said. He gave her soft kisses on her full lips. "I have been imagining kissing you for a long time." Then, he pressed his mouth on hers for a full-bodied kiss. Their lips and tongues hungrily sought each other's. He pushed her down on to the couch and lay on top of her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, as her legs coiled around his body. Then, she stopped.

"Your sister, when will she be back? I don't want her walking in on us," Cristina whispered.

"Don't worry. Laura won't be back for hours. She's gone clubbing. She may or may not be back here with a male companion," Owen said. "But if you are worried, we can always go to my bedroom." He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him, as they made their way to the smaller bedroom.

"Not the big bedroom?" she asked between kisses. He shook his head.

"I gave it up to Laura, since she is only here for the week. But don't worry about that. I am getting my own apartment by the end of the week," he told her. "So we can have as much privacy as we want." He deposited her on to the bed.

They both stared at each other for a moment. Their eyes met and they both mutually agreed that this was definitely going to happen. They both started undressing each other with a ferocity. She unbuttoned his shirt, while he pulled up her top over her head. They both unzipped each other's fly and helped the other pull off their pants. They stood in their underwear, looking at each other. She unbuckled her bra and let it slip to the floor. He pulled down his boxer briefs to reveal himself. Of course, her eyes immediately went down to there.

"Stop that," he said. "You're making me self-conscious." She grinned and then slipped off her panties. His eyes also went down there on her.

"See, you did it, too," she said. "It just can't be helped. It is a reflex action." He laughed and took her into his arms and kissed her, deeply. They both fell on to the bed, a mass of tangled limbs, as they continued to kiss. She could feel him hardening against her. As he pressed against her, she remembered to ask. "Do you have protection?" she said, as he bit her neck.

"Yes," was the muffled reply, since his mouth was still on her neck. "Bedside table." He reluctantly stopped kissing her and pulled open the drawer to reveal a couple of condoms.

"Clearly, I was hoping that this would happen," he said, tearing open a packet with his teeth.

"Not as yet," she said. "Let's just get to know each other's bodies first." She pulled him back down, so he was lying on his back. Then, she started kissing him all over – from his neck, his chest, his stomach and took his fingers into her mouth. When she got down there to his sex, she told him, "Tell me what you like. I want to know." As she took him into her mouth, he instructed her on what he enjoyed the most. She was an avid student, as she brought him to orgasm. She was rather pleased with herself as she found her way back up.

"Your turn," he said, as he went down on her. "Tell me what you like." She commanded him on what gave her the greatest pleasure. When she climaxed, she let out a low moan. "Oh, God, you are so good," she said, running her fingers through his hair. He came up and gave her a kiss. She could taste herself on his lips. They continued to kiss as she continued to stroke him to maximum hardness, while he penetrated her with his fingers. He looked at her, as he rolled on the condom. As they kissed, he entered her with one quick motion. It was an easy penetration, as she was so wet and ready for him.

"Cristina," he whispered. "I have wanted you so badly. I even had dreams about it."

"Shut up and let's just enjoy this," she whispered back.

He laughed. "Whatever you say," as he pushed her legs up, so he could get deeper inside of her. Their bodies moved in sync, him pushing down and her pushing up. When they both finally reached orgasmic levels, the release was satisfying and wonderful. They had both waited a long time for this. Through all of the misunderstandings, arguments and separation, they still managed to make it back to each other.

As they lay there, holding each other, they both fell asleep, happy and content. They didn't wake up a couple of hours later, until it seemed that someone had entered the suite. Actually, it sounded like two persons, who were both giggling and stumbling over the furniture.

"Laura and a guy she has been seeing here," Owen said. "I recognize his laugh. It's been kinda hard to sleep when they are doing it in the next room. I have to put the pillow over my head to muffle the sounds."

"Really?" Cristina replied. "She has been torturing you." She gave him a wicked grin. "You know what? Let's give them some competition, tonight."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I think we shall." He pulled her closer to him for a kiss and they began making love, once again.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you do so. It lets me know what you're thinking, as you read this.**


	15. Chapter 15 Getting to Know Laura

Owen gently shook Cristina awake. "Hey," he said. "I ordered breakfast. It should be here in a bit. Why don't you freshen up and come out to the living area, after you're done. I put out a new toothbrush for you in the bathroom. Also, I laid out one of my t-shirts for you, so you can wear it." He kissed her on the cheek. He was about to leave, when she suddenly rose up and wrapped her arms around him.

"I want to stay like this forever," she whispered. "This feels like heaven."

"Me, too," he answered. "But we since both know that can't happen, we can stay like this until I hear the knock on the door, telling me that room service is here." He also wrapped his arms around her, forming a cocoon, with his larger body enveloping her own. He gently rocked her in his arms. It felt like it was just the two of them in the world.

Then, the mood was broken by a sharp knock on the door of the suite. Owen released Cristina from his arms. She responded with a soft groan and fell back on to the pillows. "Go freshen up and come outside. I will have hot coffee for you." He went out of the bedroom to answer room service at the door. Cristina reluctantly got up and dragged herself to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she emerged freshened. Her face was washed, her teeth were brushed and she had changed into the t-shirt that Owen had laid out for her. She headed out to the living area to the suite, where Owen was sitting at the table.

"Hey, you're here," he said, pouring out a cup of coffee for her. He made it the way she liked with cream and two sugars. He handed it to her and she took a sip of the steaming coffee.

"Ah, that feels good," she said. The warm liquid felt good going down. She took a look at the spread on the table and was surprised at how much food he had ordered.

"Why did you order so much food?" she asked. "That's enough for four people."

"Well, that's because it is," he responded. "I couldn't very well just order food for the two of us, so I ordered for Laura and her friend, too."

As if on cue, the door of the main bedroom opened and Laura stepped out, followed by her friend. "Oh, my, I was sure that I was smelling hot coffee. Owen, be a dear, pour out a cup for me and one for Paolo." Owen did as he was told, as his sister and Paolo joined them at the table. He handed each of them their cups.

"Oh, hello there," Laura said to Cristina. "We met last night but we were not properly introduced. I am Laura and you must be Cristina." She reached over the table to shake Cristina's hand.

"Yes, I am," Cristina said, shaking Laura's hand. "Good to meet you."

"Yes, I immediately knew who you were when I saw you last night," Laura said. "Owen talked about you all the time over the summer. He couldn't wait to get back to Miami."

"So, I have been told by your mother," Cristina said. Owen grinned at her from across the table.

"So you've met my mother?" Laura said, a little surprised.

"Yes, when Owen was heading to Miami, I was heading to London," Cristina explained. "So instead of meeting Owen in London, I met your mother. She was extremely kind to me. She gave me a tour of the flagship hotel and a tour of London. We also had several wonderful meals, together."

"That sounds like Mother really likes you," Laura said, with a huge grin. "You're lucky, Owen. Mother likes your girlfriend. She never likes any of my boyfriends. Which reminds me, I forgot to introduce you guys to Paolo." The young man, who was quietly listening to everything, suddenly perked up at the sound of his name.

"Paolo does not speak much English. We converse mainly in Italian," Laura said. She then said something in Italian to Paolo, who showed off a toothy grin to all of them.

"Parlo italiano," Cristina said. When she said that, both Laura and Paolo began rattling Italian to her. It was clear to Owen that they had all shared a joke but since he did not speak Italian, he didn't understand a word that they were saying.

"Wait a minute, the three of you. With all due respect to Paolo, I don't know what you guys are saying. So I would like us to speak in English and Laura, you can translate for Paolo," Owen said.

"Aww, you're feeling left out," Cristina said, reaching out and taking his hand and giving it a kiss.

"Yes, I am," Owen said. "Please speak English since I was the one who ordered this lovely breakfast for us. Plus we should all start consuming this breakfast before it gets cold."

There was very little conversation as they all dug into their very delicious omelets. After they finished eating, Paolo excused himself, as everyone else had an extra cup of coffee.

"So what are you going to do about this one?" Owen asked. "Is this just a holiday fling or is this going somewhere?"

"Honestly, Owen, I really like Paolo. He's leaving Miami the same time as I am, as I was thinking that maybe, he could stop off in London and he could meet Mother," Laura said. "Though I am kinda afraid of what she would say. She has never liked any of my boyfriends."

"Hey, Cristina is the only one of my girlfriends that she has liked," Owen said. Cristina was shocked at his statement. "Introduce him; you never know what she might say."

"You're kidding, right?" Cristina said. "What about Elizabeth, who was your girlfriend for a few years?"

"Elizabeth? Mother never liked her much. She basically tolerated Elizabeth for my sake. But I guess she was right in the end," Owen said. "But she loves Cristina. She sent me a text message, saying so." It was his turn to reach over and take Cristina's hand and kiss it.

Laura suddenly felt like an intruder, so she excused herself and disappeared into her bedroom where Paolo was. Cristina and Owen sat there, staring into each other's eyes.

"So what are you going to do today?" he asked. "Do you want to spend it with me?"

"Sure," she replied. "But I have to go home and get some fresh clothes. Plus I have to tell Ryan who Laura actually is."

"Good," Owen said. "So he and Juanita could stop treating me like persona non grata since I really didn't do anything wrong."

"Okay, so let's go home," Cristina said, as they walked back hand in hand to his bedroom.

* * *

It was on the way to Cristina's apartment that Owen decided to stop in front of a tall, glitzy, high-rise building, looking over Biscayne Bay. As he parked in the building's parking lot, she asked, "Why are we stopping here?"

"This is where my new apartment is. Currently, there is a decorator fixing the place up for me," he said. "Come on." As they walked into the apartment building, Cristina was awed by the contemporary look of the building lobby. Owen nodded to the reception desk, where the security guy nodded back at him.

"They already know you here," she said.

"Yes, they do. I have been here every day, checking on the progress. Thought you would like to see the place," Owen said. They headed up to the top of the building, as Cristina watched the numbers on the elevator light up until they hit P.

"You're in the penthouse floor," she said, as they stepped off the elevator. He nodded and told her that there were four penthouses.

"Yup, it was one of the options. I chose this apartment. It has the most wonderful view of the ocean," he said, as he opened the door to Penthouse D.

The first thing that Cristina noticed was the light streaming into the apartment. She ran to the balcony and stared out at the ocean view. "Wow, this is magnificent, Owen."

"I imagine the two of us spending time out here," he said. "It was one of the reasons I bought the place. Come on; let's see the rest of it." He took her on a tour of the three-bedroom apartment. He was especially proud of the master bedroom and bathroom. Though he didn't say it, he also imagined them having some sexy times in the whirlpool tub.

Cristina could see that this place was still not yet done. There seemed to be some finishing touches needed but overall, she had a pretty good idea about what the place would look like, when it was done. "You have a lovely apartment, Owen. In fact, that is understating it. You have an outstanding apartment."

"Well, I am hoping that you would like to spend a lot of time, here," he said, taking her into arms and twirling her around the place.

"I think I would like to spend a lot of time here, too," she said.

"Come on, let me take you home, so you can change your clothes," he said. "Then we can get our day started." As they left, Cristina looked back at the place and reluctantly left.

* * *

When they got to Cristina's apartment, they walked with their arms around each other up to the second floor. She dug into her handbag for the keys and opened the door. They found Ryan, sitting on the couch, with the most perturbed expression on his face.

"Hey, Ryan," Cristina said, happily.

"So, I see," Ryan replied. "Cristina, there is something that I have to tell you. It is very important."

"Well, let me tell my news first," she said. "We've all been thinking the worst about Owen, here. The tall brunette is not his girlfriend. It's his sister, Laura."

"Really?" Ryan replied. "Wow, you two look nothing alike."

"Yeah, different fathers," Owen explained.

"Well, I apologize for treating you so badly," Ryan said, coming forward to shake Owen's hand. "I guess Juanita and I should have accepted your dinner invitation. We would have known the truth sooner and I wouldn't have been passing on erroneous information to Cristina."

"It's okay," Owen said, with a huge grin. "You were just trying to protect Cristina. I probably would have done the same thing."

"Now, that is settled, Ryan, you said you needed to tell me something," Cristina said.

Ryan looked suddenly pained, as he remembered what he had to tell her. Then, he looked at Owen standing there. "This is so awkward," he said. He let out a big sigh. "There is someone here who came to see you."

"Who? I am only seeing you here," Cristina said, exaggeratedly looking around their apartment.

"He is in the bathroom, right now. He will be right out. Just be prepared," Ryan said.

"You're killing me here, Ryan. Who the heck is it?" she said.

"It's…," Ryan started to say but he was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening and a tall brown-haired man stepping out.

"Cristina!" the man said. "You look so great." The man came forward and hugged her, tightly.

"Stop," Cristina said. Her voice was muffled against his chest. She struggled to escape the man's hug. When she finally did, she stepped back, so he couldn't hug her again. Owen was confused. Cristina certainly didn't seem to welcome the presence of this man.

"What are you doing here?" she said. "I haven't seen you in more than a year."

"Well, they have transferred me to the Miami office," the brown-haired man said. "The first thing I did after I got settled was to come looking for you."

"Oh," she said. The man definitely noticed Owen, standing next to her.

"Who is this guy?" he asked. Owen felt a bit offended, as he was the one who was with Cristina. Who was this person who was questioning his presence?

"My boyfriend, Owen. Owen, meet Xavier. He is my ex-boyfriend," she said, as she took Owen's hand into hers. "Emphasis on the ex."

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.  
**


	16. Chapter 16 The Man In Charge

Owen was anxious. It was his first day as general manager of the Miami's Hotel Lockhart. He had a lot on his mind. His first order of business was going to be a meeting with the staff. It wasn't going to be a long meeting – only about 10 minutes – since he really couldn't shut down operations for longer than that. Most everyone would be at that meeting, with the exception of a few people, who were still manning the operations so that the hotel would continue to run as smoothly as possible.

In addition to all of this, he was disturbed by the sudden re-appearance of Cristina's ex-boyfriend, Xavier into their lives. He remembered the confrontation from the other day. After Cristina had introduced him as her boyfriend, Xavier seemed distressed by the news. Owen felt gratified that Cristina had so boldly announced that he was her boyfriend. That certainly rattled that over-confident baboon, he thought

"Cristina, can you and I have a private conversation?" Xavier said. She had firmly shook her head.

"Anything you want to say, you can say in front of Ryan and Owen. Ryan is my best friend and Owen is my boyfriend. I have no secrets from them," she said.

"Well, it would be kind of awkward to discuss what I want to say in front of them," Xavier mumbled.

"Really?" Cristina said, her voice raising an octave. "What do you have to say to me that is so important, Xavier? If I recall correctly, you are the one who dumped me. You graduated from college and told me that you got a job on the other side of the country and it wouldn't be wise to continue a long-distance relationship and we should both move on. You hurt me, really badly, Xavier and now you come back, wanting to talk?"

Owen listened to Cristina, as she lashed out at Xavier. He had never heard that story before about her ex-boyfriend. He was angry that this buffoon had come out of nowhere and was upsetting Cristina. He had to say something.

"I think you should leave," Owen told Xavier. She already told you that she did not want to speak to you. You are not welcome here, sir." Xavier observed Owen with a steely glare. Owen returned the glare with one of his own.

"Okay, I am leaving. I can tell when I am not wanted," Xavier said, heading towards the front door of the apartment. "Cristina, when you have calmed down, please call me. My number is the same."

As soon as he left, Cristina had broken down in tears. She buried her face in Owen's chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, Cristina," he said. "I am here." He looked across at Cristina's best friend, who had a pained look on his face. "And Ryan is here, too." Ryan nodded. He had seen the devastation left behind when Cristina had been dumped by Xavier and had broken her heart.

"The guy is a total moron," Ryan said from across the room. "You don't ever have to speak to him, again." Usually, he would be the one comforting Cristina but it looked like he had been replaced. He felt a little bit jealous.

"I agree with Ryan," Owen said. "Don't call him. He is just plain trouble." As he said that, he was aware of his own insecurities. After all, he and Cristina were in a nascent relationship, just barely started. They didn't need the distractions of past relationships to get in the way.

Owen thought about that day, as he got himself ready for his meeting with staff. He headed to the ballroom area, where everyone was gathered. He felt so nervous. Everyone watched as he entered the room to take the stage. He gently hit the microphone to make sure that it was on.

"Good morning, everyone. I am so glad that so many of you showed up here, today." There was an audible whisper among the crowd and Owen could surmise they were all talking about his relative youth. After all, Rodrigo Santiago, the last manager was a man who was in his sixties, when he retired.

Owen cleared his throat, nervously. Then, he saw her. Cristina had slipped in and was now at one side of the ballroom. Just having her there gave him the courage to continue.

"I am Owen Hunt and I am now the new general manager of this hotel. Let me get a few things out of the way. Yes, my mother is Elinor Lockhart, the chairperson of this fine chain of luxury hotels across the globe. And yes, I am only 25 years old," he said.

There was a gasp, when he stated his age.

"Okay, now we got that out of the way. Don't let my youth and my lineage fool you into thinking that I am just a slacker with a silver spoon. My mother expects me to perform just as well as the other general managers of the chain. Maybe even more. The last thing that she told me before I left London to come here was that she expected excellence from me.

"And now, I am expecting excellence from you. It is going to be a steep learning curve for me but I promise you that I am going to make sure that this hotel remains one of the best performers in the entire chain. We all know that it is due to your hard work that it has achieved this. It is my aim that we continue to do so and even more so, it is my goal that we become the best. I know that I am going to do my part. I am expecting you to do yours.

" I am perfectly aware that one hand cannot clap by itself. We are a team. I expect you to do give your best, so I will be making sure that we in upper management support you. We know that you are the face of our hotel. You're the ones who deal with the guests on a daily basis. If you need something to do your job better, come to us and we will discuss it. I hope to have an open-door policy, so people can air their grievances and not be afraid to do so. This is how the new management will operate.

"I don't mean to keep you any longer because we all have lots of work to do. So, thank you for coming and thank you for hearing me out. Good day to you all."

The employees all gave him a hearty round of applause. He was grateful. He needed their support to succeed, so he had to offer them his support. As the employees returned to their job, it was only Owen and Cristina left behind in the room. He went to her and bent down to kiss her, but making sure to look around to see that no one was around to see him engage in these public displays of affection.

"Thanks for coming," he said, after he kissed her. "I was really nervous. I could feel my heart beating so loudly in my chest but then I saw you, I knew I could continue. It was okay, wasn't it? For a first time speech. I didn't want to come off, seeming too pushy but I knew that I expected them to work just as hard."

"It was fine, Owen. You did great," she said. "Let me know how your open door policy works out. When I worked, I came across some cantankerous employees, who would make your life miserable. They never got along with anyone else."

"Oh, no, was that a mistake?" he asked, as a worried expression overtook his face.

"No, don't be worried. I know you can handle them," she said. "I have full confidence in you. Anyway, I have to leave you, now. I just came to give you a boost, while you deliver your first speech to the masses," she said. "I have a class in a while. So have a great first day as general manager of the hotel. You're the big boss, now."

"Thank you," he said. He gave her another kiss and then, they walked out to the front entrance of the hotel, where they said goodbye. He turned around, ready for his first big day.

* * *

Cristina got back in school, just in time for her first class. Juanita was already there and saving the seat next to her for Cristina.

"Hey," Juanita said. "How was Owen's first big speech?"

"Oh, he was good, a little bit nervous, but overall, it was a good speech," Cristina answered. "They even gave him a round of applause, which was heartening. Though in the beginning, there seem to be some murmurings about his age."

"Well, he is constantly going to get that, until he proves himself, I guess," Juanita said. "Let's shush, now. Our Prof is here."

Juanita and Cristina had a full morning of classes before they went to have lunch, like they always did on the benches outside. They both enjoyed the warmth of the sun after being in air-conditioned classes all day. It was like the maintenance crew had placed all of the AC units on Polar Bear Frigid.

"I will get our lunch," Juanita said. "You stay here and save this bench for us." Cristina nodded, as Juanita walked away. She closed her eyes and bent back her head to take some of the sun's rays. Then, she was starting to daydream, when a familiar voice brought her back to reality.

"Cristina," Xavier said. She opened her eyes and found him, standing over her. She was immediately pissed.

"What do you want, Xavier?" she said in an accusatory tone.

"I was waiting for your call," he said. "It has been a couple of days and I thought you would have calmed down by now."

"Well, Xavier, here's the truth. I wasn't planning to call you, ever again," she said, angrily. "What do you think would have happened when you just suddenly showed up in my life? That I would drop everything and do your bid and calling. You were the one who dumped me, Xavier. I haven't heard from you in over a year. Why would I even care to call you, again?"

"Cristina, I just wanted to say something to you. I couldn't do it in front of Ryan or your new boyfriend. What's his name, again?" Xavier said, in a remarkably calm tone. That aggravated her, even more.

"His name is Owen and yes, he is my current boyfriend. You are the ex. Remember that," she spat out.

"Yes, I know I am the ex. That's why I want to talk to you," he said. "I know the fact that I am the ex is probably my fault."

"There's no probably in that," she replied. "It was your fault. I knew you were going across the country for your new job but I didn't expect that you would dump me like that. I thought we had a good thing, Xavier." She sniffled a little bit.

"We did," Xavier said, sitting down. She seemed to be a lot calmer, now, so she would allow him to sit on the bench with her. She didn't say anything, so he knew it was okay.

He continued, "We have a very good thing. In fact, it was great. We had two great years, together. The reason I have been trying to talk to you is that I want to apologize."

"Apologize?" she repeated. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes, apologize. I am sorry that I ended our relationship the way that I did. You deserved better than that. You were a great girlfriend and I acted like an idiot. I was leaving Miami for a new job and a new life and I thought then that I was going to leave my old life behind. You were part of my old life and I thought I had to end it. I was wrong," he said. "My thinking was flawed. You were a major part of my life. In fact, you were the best part of my life. I am so sorry about everything. I hope you can forgive me."

"Thank you," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. They were both silent for a moment, before Xavier spoke again.

"I had thought that maybe, we could try again. But then, I saw that you were with Owen, and maybe, it was too late for us," he said. She looked at him, a little bit shocked.

"Yeah, it is too late for us, Xavier. I really am into Owen. A lot," she told him. "Anyway, thank you for your apology. I can't say right now that I forgive you but I believe I will, in time." Xavier got up from the bench.

"Okay, Cristina. Maybe I will see you around, some time. Have a good life," he said. As he walked away, Cristina felt a sudden lightness in her being.

Juanita walked up with their lunches in her hand. "Was that Xavier?" she asked.

"Yes," Cristina answered. "He wanted to apologize about the way he broke up with me." Juanita sat down next to her friend.

"Xavier apologizing? Wow," Juanita said. "Wonders never cease."

Cristina smiled at her friend. "Yeah, they don't." The two friends happily munched their sandwiches, as they enjoyed the sun.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave a review.**


	17. Chapter 17 Navigating a Relationship

The next few weeks were incredibly busy for Owen and Cristina. Owen was now running a five-star hotel and it was taking everything out of him. When he was working at the head office, he never knew that actually running a hotel was so much work. Nothing he did at the corporate headquarters had prepared him for so much work. Even though it was just one hotel among many in the chain, each establishment was run like it was its own individual entity. Yes, there was input from the head office but it was generally left up to the general manager to decide how his hotel was going to be run. The major mandate from the head office was each operation had to be successful and each property had to upkeep the image and the standard of the Lockhart name.

His open door policy had been productive in some ways and unproductive in others. He did find out real grievances of the employees but some of them came to him with some truly petty problems. He decided to modify his open door policy. It was now a semi-open door policy. He still saw the employees but his administrative assistant screened out the minor problems and addressed them herself or directed them to the appropriate managers. The real grievances were directed to Owen himself. He found it rather helpful because it gave him a clear idea about how the folks on the frontline were thinking. He wanted what he could do to make their jobs better. Happy employees, he knew, made for a better operation. His mother had always taught him that.

He had since moved into his penthouse apartment, overlooking Biscayne Bay. Though he loved his apartment and how his decorator had finished it, he barely spent any time there. He was always at the hotel from early in the morning to late at night, every day. His learning curve was indeed steep, as he had expected and though he reveled in all of the knowledge he was gaining, there was another aspect of his life that was suffering. He barely saw Cristina. He had imagined that they would have been experiencing some sexy times at the apartment. That never materialized. In fact, since he had moved into the apartment, she had never been there. Though he knew that she understood what was going on with him work-wise, he still was not happy about it.

While Owen's work kept him busy, schoolwork was doing the same for Cristina. Senior year was kicking her butt. She had decided to take extra courses, even though she didn't really need them. She figured as she was already there at school, she might as well learn as much as she could. Doing homework assignments and projects were keeping her in the library at very late hours, doing as much research as she could. Juanita, who was not taking as many courses, had more free time than her. Juanita chided her for taking two extra courses.

"Come on, Cristina," she would say. "Let's go unwind in the bar. It's Friday night." Cristina would shake her head and tell her that she needed to finish an assignment that night because she had two more assignments to finish over the weekend. Juanita would sigh and leave her at the library.

She hardly saw Owen. She knew that he was very busy at the hotel and was there, every day. She didn't mind that. Actually, she totally understood what he needed to do. In fact, it was okay because her schoolwork was keeping on campus for more hours than she would like. Her apartment was just someplace she crashed at night, so she could get some sleep before school the next day. The person she saw the most was Ryan. She saw him in the morning at breakfast and at night, when she came home from the library. Since she hadn't seen Owen in a while, whenever she was feeling lonely, she would crawl under the covers next to Ryan, just to feel his presence. One night, she had crawled into bed and had discovered the next morning that Jeremy had been asleep on the other side of Ryan. She got out of there, really fast and ran to her bedroom.

Clearly, she was missing Owen, a whole lot. She picked up her phone and called him. He answered, sounding very chipper for that hour of the morning.

"Hey," she said.

"Babe," he answered.

"I miss you," she said. He sighed on the other end.

"I miss you, too," he responded. "I am so sorry. This job is occupying my every waking moment. We haven't seen each other in a while and that is just not acceptable."

"Well, it is not your fault, entirely. School has been occupying every moment of my life, too. But I know one thing. We cannot continue like this," she said.

"Yes, I know," he said. "So we should schedule a date night. I am going to forget about work for a while and you forget about schoolwork for a while. Let it just be about each other and spending time with one another."

"Yes, please. Can we also have some loving?" she asked. "I want to wrap myself around you." He chuckled.

"Oh, we can definitely have some loving," he said. "I really miss that, too."

"Yeah, me too," she said. "I am so craving physical contact that I sometimes sleep in the same bed with Ryan." It was a good thing that Cristina could not see Owen's face because his jaw had dropped to the floor. He knew Ryan and Cristina were really close but he never knew that she shared a bed with him, sometimes. The fact that Ryan was gay was Owen's only consolation.

"You sleep in the same bed with Ryan?" he said, almost choking on the words.

"Yup," she said. "We've been doing that for years." Then, she laughed. "But last night was extra funny. The room was pitch black when I got in. I just crawled in. This morning, I woke up and it turns out that Jeremy was on the other side of Ryan. I got out of there, really fast. Ha, ha, ha." Cristina continued to laugh, hysterically but Owen was not amused at the other end of the line. He was not happy at all.

As much as he knew that Ryan was Cristina's best friend and that he was gay, he was still a member of the male species. This news that she shared a bed with both Ryan and Jeremy was most upsetting.

"Cristina," he said. "Shall we set a date for Saturday at 7 p.m.? I will come pick you up. We'll have some dinner and then you can stay at my place. I won't talk about work and you won't talk about school. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure," Cristina said. "I am totally looking forward to it. Gotta get ready for school, now. Have a great day at work."

"Yes, I will. You, too. Bye," Owen said, before he hung up. He put down the phone and shook his head. Though he hadn't said anything, the fact that she regularly slept in a bed with a man, that was not him, was disturbing, to say the least. He wanted to be the only man in her bed. He was going to have a serious discussion with her about it.

* * *

She came out of the bathroom and smiled to see a burgundy strapless dress all neatly laid out on her bed. There was an evening purse next to it, as well as a pair of shoes on the ground. Ryan had chosen her an outfit to wear on her date with Owen. It was so great to have a best friend, with such a wonderful sense of style, she thought.

"Thanks, Ryan," she shouted. From the living room, she heard, "You're welcome, honey." She stripped off her robe and starting rubbing scented lotion on her body. She wanted her skin to be silky smooth for Owen. After all, she was expecting a big night with him. Her lotion had a bit of gleam to it, so her skin also had a light glow about it. She changed into her some sexy lacy underwear and matching bra. That should give him a thrill, she thought. She put on her dress and her shoes, then did her make-up and fluffed out her hair. Finally, she rubbed perfume on her pulse points. She gave herself the once-over in the mirror. It was to her liking, so she picked up her purse from the bed, stuffed it with the essential lipstick, tissue, phone and apartment keys. She then went out to the living room, so Ryan could give her the final inspection.

"Hubba, hubba," Ryan said, examining her. "You look stunning, Cristina. He would not be able to resist you."

"Thank you," she said. "Just waiting for him to get here." She didn't have to wait long because two minutes after she said that, there was a knock on the door. "He's here," she screamed, excitedly. She ran to open the door, flung it open and threw herself into his arms.

"I guess you're happy to see me as I am to see you," he said, kissing her on her forehead.

"Yes," she said. "I have missed being in your arms so much." She rested her head on his chest and snuggled against him.

"Well, this date has already started better than expected," Owen said. He acknowledged Ryan, sitting on the sofa. "Hey, Ryan," he said. "How are you doing? How are things with you and Jeremy?"

"Fine," Ryan said. "Right now, Jeremy and I are doing just great."

"Good," Owen said. "Well, I guess we will see you, tomorrow, since Cristina is staying over tonight at my apartment."

"Good times," Ryan said, with a laugh. With that, Owen and Cristina left for the night. As they got into his car, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"A restaurant I've heard about," Owen said. "There's a chef whose work I want to try. I have heard great things about him."

"Awesome," Cristina said. "I love to try something new." What Owen didn't mention was that they were going to that particular restaurant, so he could test out the culinary skills of that chef.

They had a very nice time at the restaurant. The food was indeed fantastic. Owen made mental notes in his mind about what he liked about each particular course though Cristina seemed to be unaware that he was doing so. He was mixing work with pleasure and he was pretty sure she would have been upset about it, since he had promised that their date would not have been about work. Though he had tried, it was difficult to even separate his work life from his personal life, anymore.

* * *

When they went to his apartment after their dinner, she oohed and aahed about the finished design. Though he liked that she loved it, it was a realization that she had not been there, since he had first showed it her. Their relationship needed to be nurtured. It wasn't something that he wanted to lose.

"Let's get to the most important room in the apartment," he said, as he grabbed her shoulders and guided her to the bedroom.

"You mean you're taking me to the place where the magic happens," she said, giggling. As they entered the bedroom, he deftly zipped down her dress and let it fall to the floor. He gasped as he saw her new lacy underwear.

"Oh, I like, I like very much," he said. "But as much as I like it, it doesn't mean that I am going to let you keep them on." He unbuckled her bra and then slipped down her underwear. "Okay, just the way I like you." He pushed her towards the bed, where she lay watching him take off his suit and tie.

As he stripped naked in front of her, she said, "Just the way I like you." She pulled him on top of her, as they began to kiss. What followed was a passionate union of two people, who had clearly missed being apart.

* * *

When it was over, they lay together in the bed in a state of total bliss, as they cuddled with each other. "Did you like that?" he asked.

"Of course," she said. "I just didn't like it, you know. I loved it. I have missed being with you so much." Since they were both in a really excellent mood, Owen thought it was time to bring up the topic of her sleeping in Ryan's bed.

"I guess it is hard when we're not together and you crave physical contact, you sometimes sleep in the same bed as Ryan," he started. That really sounded odd, he thought.

"Yes," she said. "He brings me comfort when I need it. When I am feeling lonely and I miss you, I do it. He is my best friend." She lifted her head and gave him a questioning look. "What's the matter? Why are you bringing this up?"

"I know you and Ryan are best friends. I know he has always been there for you. I also know that he is gay. But as your boyfriend, I want you to stop doing it," he said. There, he said it, he thought.

"Wh-aat?" she suddenly raised and sat up. "I have known Ryan forever. I have only known you for a couple of months. Nothing ever happens when Ryan and I sleep together."

"I know that, Cristina but I don't feel comfortable with you in the same bed with another guy," Owen replied. "It just doesn't seem right. I don't want my girlfriend sharing a bed with a guy."

"So if Ryan were a girl, you wouldn't have problems with it, right?" she said, sharply.

"To be honest, no, I wouldn't but he isn't a girl. He is a guy, Cristina. Don't you understand how I feel?" he pleaded.

Cristina was getting angry. Her eyes were filling with tears. "He's my best friend. We've been through a lot together. He has always been there for me," Cristina said.

"I know all of that, Cristina. It just bothers me," he said. "Please, do it for me. This relationship is about me and you. I just don't want Ryan to be the extra wheel in our relationship."

She gave him a deadly glare and turned away from him to face the other side. There was no more talk for the night. Cristina had completely shut down.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate it.**


	18. Chapter 18 Figuring it out

It was a silent journey back to Cristina's apartment, the next morning. When they got there, she opened her door and got out of the car.

"Do you want me to walk you to your apartment?" he asked. She said nothing as she continued to walk away. Owen sighed. She hadn't really spoken to him, since they got up that morning. She had brushed her teeth, dressed in her clothes and asked if he could take her home. He had agreed. That had been the full extent of their conversation. The atmosphere in the car was quite strained, as he drove her to the apartment.

He watched her enter her building before he drove away. He knew she was still angry about his request that she no longer sleep in the same bed with Ryan. Yes, he knew that nothing happened between them. Yes, he knew that Ryan was gay. Yes, he knew that they were best friends. But, still, it bothered him. He didn't want Cristina to be sharing a bed with any guy, regardless of that guy's sexuality or friend status. He wished she could see his perspective.

Cristina opened the door of her apartment. It was quiet, meaning that Ryan was still asleep. She opened his door and checked to see that Jeremy was not there, before she slipped under the covers next to him. Ryan could feel the shift in his bed, so he knew that she was getting in next to him. He moved so that he could make room for her.

With his eyes still closed, he said, "Hey, you're back. How was your night?"

"It started out fine but didn't end that way," she told him. She stared at the ceiling, as she spoke. Ryan opened his eyes and turned to face her.

"What happened?" he said. "You were so happy and excited to see him, when you left, last night."

"Well, dinner was really good. We went to this restaurant. The food, I have to say, was magnificent. Owen seemed particularly pleased," she said. "Then we went home and good things started to happen."

"Ugh," Ryan said. "Save me the details. I don't want to hear about you guys doing the dirty, right now. It is too early in the morning."

"Okay, so we did it and it was pretty much fun and wonderful and great. So, we're cuddling afterwards, basking in the afterglow. Then, he decides to drop a bombshell on me," she said. Ryan perked up, immediately. He may not have wanted to hear any of the sexy details but he did want to know what Owen had told her that had made her upset.

"So what was it?" Ryan asked, his eyes glinting with interest.

"He wants me to stop doing this," she said, waving her arm across Ryan's bed. Ryan was confused. What was she talking about?

"Doing what this?" he asked, in a puzzled tone.

"Sharing the same bed with you," she replied. Ryan started to laugh, quite hysterically.

"Doesn't Owen remember that I am gay?" he asked. Cristina nodded.

"Doesn't Owen know that nothing happens between us, when we share a bed because we are literally sleeping together?" he asked. Cristina nodded.

"Doesn't Owen know that we are best friends?" he asked. Cristina nodded.

"Doesn't Owen know that we have been doing this for years and years?" he asked. Cristina nodded.

"Hmmm," Ryan said. He paused for a moment. "Well, I can see his side, too."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Cristina shrieked. "How can you say that?"

"Well, he is a guy and I am a guy. So I understand how guys think. Even though he knows everything about the two of us, he is just uncomfortable with it. I mean, Cristina, if the situation were reversed and he was sharing his bed with a hypothetical lesbian best friend, how would you feel?" Ryan asked.

Cristina screamed. "Why, oh why must you always be the voice of reason, Ryan? You know darn well that I wouldn't like it. I mean I could rationalize it all I want. I still wouldn't like it."

"Well, then there is the answer to your own dilemma," Ryan said. "You wouldn't like it, so I guess you understand why he doesn't like it. You're in a relationship, Cristina. Relationships are about compromise."

"But if I stop doing this, then what am I going to do for those times, when I am lonely and I need a friend," she pouted.

"Well, then that is the other part of the compromise, I know you guys are both very busy. You with school and he with the hotel but you have to make time for each other. You've barely seen each other since he took over the reins of the hotel. Last night was the first time in weeks that you were together. When you're lonely, it is him that you have turn to for comfort," Ryan said. "I mean I'll miss you but he is supposed to be the one, offering you solace. I suppose there must be some sort of jealousy on his part, too, because I am the one giving you comfort when he probably wants to be the one to do it."

"Gosh, why do you always have to be so reasonable?" she said, softly. "I guess you're right."

"So what are you going to do?" he asked. "I suppose you guys left things on a bad note, noting the mood with which you came in here."

"Yes," Cristina said. "I am still in my bad mood. I am going to talk to him but not now. I just need to cool off." She got up from under the covers. "I am going to my room and lay there for a bit, as I consider my options."

"Okay," Ryan said. "I am sure that you are going to come to the most sensible solution." He grinned at her. She grunted as she left the room.

* * *

Owen was not a happy man at all. After leaving Cristina's apartment, he headed to the hotel, as he did every day. He was not officially at work but since he was still new at the job, he wanted to make sure that the hotel was running like a well-oiled machine. As he walked to his office, his heart was heavy and all he could think about was Cristina. He hated fighting with her. Their entire relationship had been marked by misunderstandings and disagreements and he always felt miserable during those times. He knew it was because he loved her.

He glumly walked to his office. Strangely, he found his office door open. Someone was in there. His executive chair was turned to face the large windows where he had a view of the ocean.

"Excuse me, this is my office," he said. "Can you explain yourself?" The chair swiveled around to reveal that the person in the chair was his mother.

"Mother! What are you doing here?" he asked. He rushed forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good to see you, son. Even better to see that you are here at the office on a Sunday morning. It shows that you have an amazing work ethic, when it comes to this job," she said. "As to why I am here, I am just doing my normal annual visit to the American properties. I have already visited the New York, Boston and Atlanta hotels. So Miami was next on the list. Of course, it is a wonderful time to catch up with my son and see how he is doing."

"Very wonderful to see you. To answer the question about how I am doing, I have to say that it is a lot of work, Mother. Much more than I expected," he said. "Running a hotel can take a lot out of you. Of course, I have lots of experienced managers and staff so that helps out a lot. However, when it comes down to making the big decisions, it is all left up to me."

"Well, that is what being the general manager is all about. The buck stops on your desk, as they say," she said.

"How long are you here?" he asked. "We can go to dinner tonight, if you wish."

"Yes, I would like that, Owen. Also, can you please invite Cristina to come along?" Elinor asked. "I would love to see the girl. She made quite an impression on me, when she visited London."

"Um…," Owen said. He didn't know quite what to say. He wasn't even sure that Cristina would agree to come to dinner.

"What was that 'um' about?" Elinor said.

"Cristina and I had an argument last night. I am not sure she would want to come," he said, not looking at his mother. She gave him a withering look.

"Son, I expect to see Cristina at the dinner table tonight," Elinor said. "I like the girl very much and there is no way I am going to leave Miami without seeing her. After all, she is the only one of your girlfriends that I have liked."

"Yes, I know, Mother," Owen said, quietly. Even though he was a grown man, there was something about his mother that made him turn into a teenage boy in her presence. "I will call her." He left the office and went out to somewhere quiet where he could call Cristina.

She answered the phone, almost immediately. "Hey," she said, cheerily. He was surprised that she sounded normal on the phone. After all, it was only about a hour and a half ago that he had left that sourpuss at her apartment building.

"Hey, Cristina," he said. Despite her cheery voice, he wasn't quite sure what kind of mood she was in. "I need to ask you a favor. My mother is on a surprise visit and she would like you to come to dinner, tonight."

"Okay," Cristina answered, most readily. "I like your mother and I would like to see her again."

"Great," Owen said, happily. He was wondering what had caused Cristina's mood to change. "I will send over a car to pick you up at 6.30 p.m. at your building, so you can come over to the hotel. Is that fine with you?"

"Yes," she said. "That's fine."

"Great, I will see you later," he said. "And thank you, Cristina."

"Not a problem," she replied. "See ya." Owen was extremely surprised. That had been so easy. He thought she would have been resistant to the idea. He went back to the office, feeling much better.

"I called Cristina, Mother," he said. "She will join us for dinner."

"Wonderful, son," Elinor said. "Okay, so let's get down to discussing the hotel operations, shall we?"

"Certainly," he said. He sat down and turned on his laptop. Mother and son got down to deep discussions about the family business.

* * *

As arranged, a car came to pick up Cristina at her apartment at 6.30 p.m. She had chosen to wear a sapphire blue dress for the dinner, finished off with black shoes and a black evening clutch purse. Owen was waiting for her at the entrance of the restaurant at the hotel.

"You look lovely," he said. "Thank you for coming." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and offered her his arm. "Mother is already seated and she is waiting for us." He led her to the best table in the restaurant, where Elinor was reading a menu. She got up, when she saw Cristina and gave her the warmest of smiles.

"Cristina, darling," she said, kissing the young woman on the cheek. "So lovely that you could join us."

"Well, I wouldn't miss seeing you," Cristina said, returning as warm a smile to the older woman. "You were so gracious to me when I was in London. I knew I had to come see you."

Owen couldn't stop smiling. He loved that his girlfriend and his mother were getting along so well. With Elizabeth, it had been always been a very polite discourse between the two ladies. Elinor never called Elizabeth 'darling', as far as he could remember.

"I took the liberty of ordering drinks," Owen said. "Is white wine fine?" He called over the waiter who brought over the bottle and the glasses and poured it out for them. As they sipped their wine, Owen said that Gustavo, the head chef, was preparing a special meal for them in honor of Ms. Lockhart's presence at the hotel.

"I don't know what it is," Owen said. "But it is going to be great. Gustavo is brilliant. Pity we are going to lose him."

"What? Gustavo is leaving! Didn't you offer him more money?" Elinor said in horror.

"Of course, I did, Mother," Owen said. "But he is moving to New York to set up a restaurant there. It has always been a dream of his to go there."

"So what are you going to do?" his mother asked. "You must find someone of the same caliber to replace him."

"I have already done some of the groundwork on that," Owen said. "I have checked out the chef at Fosters. He has a formidable reputation and I have to say that the reports were indeed accurate. I tried his food last night."

Alarm bells started going off in Cristina's head as she put two and two together. Owen had been working when they had gone to that restaurant last night. He had gone there, specifically, to check out the chef. It wasn't just a romantic date for the two of them but a work opportunity for him, too. She became resentful that he had done this. She glared at him from across the table. He caught her look and realized his mistake. She had figured it out.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	19. Chapter 19 To Make It Work

It was after dinner that Owen asked Cristina if she would like to go to his place or to her apartment.

"I would like to go home," she said, firmly. "Also, you don't have to take me home. The car can take me back. Is that fine?"

"Um, yes, if that is what you want," he said, quietly. He knew that she was very upset but he really couldn't talk to her about it, since his mother was there.

He made arrangements for the car to take her back and then, he walked her to where it was parked. The driver was already there, waiting for her. Owen opened the back door and allowed her to get seated. He closed the door and bent down to speak to her through the window.

"Please call me, Cristina," he pleaded. She turned her head away from him and faced forward.

"Can we leave now?" she asked the driver.

"Certainly, miss," the driver said. Owen let out a big sigh, as he watched the car drive away.

When Cristina came home, she badly wanted to talk to Ryan but she saw that Jeremy was in the kitchen, making himself a cup of tea.

"Hey, Jeremy," she said. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Jeremy said, mixing in the milk into his tea. "So how are you?" She collapsed on to the couch, her shoulders slumped.

He read her mood, immediately. "That bad, huh?" She nodded.

"But I thought you went out to dinner with Owen and his mom. That's what Ryan told me," Jeremy said. He sat down next to her and sipped at his tea.

"I did," Cristina said. "The dinner was delicious and his mother was gracious and wonderful."

"Oh," Jeremy said. "So it is Owen who has you aggravated. Do you want to talk to me about it? I know Ryan is your go-to guy but he just went out to get some food for us." She nodded. She looked at him and sighed.

"Yes," she said. "I just found out something about what he did. Last night, we went out to a romantic dinner to this restaurant and he had promised that it would just be the two of us together without the distractions of work and school. Apparently, the only reason we were going to that restaurant was that he wanted to check out the chef, there. The head chef at the hotel is leaving to set up his own restaurant in New York, so the hotel needs a new head chef."

"Ah, I see," Jeremy said. "He decided to mix work with pleasure and that has got you upset."

"Yes," Cristina said. "It wasn't just all about being with me. He was the one who said that there was going to be no mention of work or school. He broke his promise."

Jeremy looked at her, sympathetically. "Well, you know he is under a lot of pressure to make sure that the hotel stays successful," he said. "It's a huge undertaking for someone so young. I am the same age he is and at my job, I have a lot of responsibility, too. Sometimes, it is overwhelming. I don't think you and Ryan know how difficult it is, sometimes, when you're constantly thinking about the job. "

"Oh, please don't defend him," she said. "I would like to think that I am important enough that he would forego doing work stuff while we're out. We hadn't even seen each other in a while." She let out a scream. "I am so mad, right now. I can't even think."

She got up from the couch. "I think I am going to my room, Jeremy. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime," he said. "No problem." He watched as her slumped figure departed to her bedroom.

Cristina stripped off her dress and filled up her tub with warm water and bubble bath. She lit a few candles and took off the lights, before slipping into the tub. The warm water relaxed the tension in her neck and shoulders. She felt a lot better after a half-hour soak. She toweled off, brushed her teeth and then, changed into her most favorite pair of pajamas.

She slipped under her bed covers and silently, stared at her ceiling. She couldn't sleep because she was so bothered by what Owen had done. She felt hurt and angry but she wasn't sure which emotion she was feeling more. She squeezed out a couple of tears but quickly wiped them away. No, she was not going to cry. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but sleep never came.

So she was totally aware when Ryan joined her in her bed. "Hey," he said. "How are you doing?"

"Peeved," she replied. "Why are you here? Where's Jeremy?"

"Oh, he went home. He said that you needed me," Ryan told her. "He told me everything. Sorry to hear about what happened." He put his arm around her and gave her a hug.

"I guess I should thank Jeremy for being so understanding," Cristina said. "Plus he listened to me, while you weren't here. I am glad that you two guys made back up."

"Yeah, me too. Now we have to get you and Owen back on track," Ryan said. "I know you're mad at him and I know he promised you that he was going to avoid anything work-related at dinner. Well, he is under a lot of pressure but that is still no excuse for doing what he did, especially since he broke your deal."

"Yes, I think so, too," Cristina said. "You know I wouldn't have been so mad, if he had told me, beforehand what he was doing. But the subterfuge makes me not want to trust him. I mean we have had a history of him hiding things from me."

"I think you two should get your act together, Cristina," Ryan said. "It's time you have a real talk about your relationship. If you want it to work, then you have to put in the effort. Your life can't be just about school and his can't be just about work. You two have to learn to make time for each other. A conversation is absolutely necessary."

"Yeah, I know," Cristina said. "I just need some time first to sulk about it." Ryan laughed. He got out from under the covers.

"Hey, aren't we doing the one thing that Owen doesn't want us to do? Sharing a bed?" she said, chuckling.

"No, no," he said. "He didn't want us sleeping together. Nothing wrong with us chatting in bed. Please note that I got out of the bed and I am now headed off to my own bed. Good night, BFF."

"That's a great technicality and I agree with it," she replied. "Good night, Ryan."

* * *

The next day, Owen anxiously waited for Cristina's call but it never came. He didn't know that Cristina was not ready to talk to him. She was too busy sulking. She knew she needed some time to think and if she called him, she would be too angry to be reasonable.

However, what she didn't know was that her silence was making Owen even more anxious. He was so distracted that he kept forgetting things, when explaining some reports to his mother. She knew something was wrong.

"Owen, why are you like this?" she asked. "Is it Cristina?" She hit the nail on the head on the first try. During their dinner the night before, she had noticed that Cristina had become strangely withdrawn. The girl was still polite and answered all of her questions but she wasn't at all in a smiley mood. Also, when she insisted to be driven home by the chauffeur and not by Owen, Elinor knew something was wrong between the lovebirds.

"Um, yes," Owen responded. "She is very mad at me. Remember our discussion about Gustavo leaving. Well, when I took Cristina out the other night, she didn't know that I was checking out the chef at that restaurant as a replacement for him. I had told her that we weren't going to concentrate on work or school. I broke that promise."

"Oh, son," Elinor said, shaking her head. "Women like to think that they're a priority in your life and when you mix business and pleasure like that, they get upset. I know everything is new to you but you need to be able to find that proper work/life balance. Nobody at the end of their life ever said that they wished they had spent more time in the office."

Owen sighed. "Yes, we have been putting our relationship on the backburner," he admitted. "We just need to make _us_ a priority in both our lives. I just don't know if she wants to talk to me. She hasn't called me and I asked her to do so last night."

"Give her some time, son. She is probably still quite angry, right now," Elinor tried to reassure him. "She will call you, when she's ready."

"But what if she never calls me back?" Owen said in a worried tone.

"She will," Elinor said. "If that girl traveled all the way to London just to see you, then she is going to call you back."

"I hope so, Mother," Owen said. "I really hope so.

* * *

Another five days passed before Owen received the call that he had been waiting for. He was having his lunch in his office, when he got the call. When he saw Cristina's name pop up on his phone, he grabbed it, immediately. He calmed himself down before he spoke.

"Cristina," he said. "How are you?"

"I am okay," she said. "I was wondering whether you would be free this evening so we could talk. I will meet you over at your apartment."

"Yes, yes," Owen said. "Come over around 7 p.m. I will be home by then."

"Fine," she said. "Goodbye. Heading to a class, now."

"Bye, Cristina," Owen said. As he hung up the phone, he let out a big sigh of relief. She was ready to talk.

He went home that evening and set the table with linens, candles and flowers. He had brought food from the hotel restaurant. If they were going to chat, they might as well do it over some good food. He also hoped that the food would put Cristina in a better mood.

He took a shower, changed into some casual clothes and awaited her arrival. There was a knock on his door. He rushed to open it.

"Cristina!" he said, the joy on his face was evident. "Come in, please." He turned his body to allow her to pass.

"Hey," she said. "How are you doing?" She tossed her schoolbag and a duffel bag on to the couch. She saw the table with the flowers and the candles. "Oh, I wasn't expecting food."

"I thought we could have some food, while we chat. I brought it home from the hotel," he said. "Have a seat, please." He pulled out a chair for her so she could sit.

"I am famished," she said. "I came straight from school. Sorry, I look this way." She self-consciously touched her hair.

"You look fine," he said. "I haven't seen you in almost a week. You look great to me."

"Thanks," she said. "You look good, too." Their conversation seemed strangely polite, Cristina thought.

"I brought both chicken and fish. I wasn't sure what you would like," he said, with a small smile.

"Everything is fine," she said. "I am sure that Gustavo did a fine job." She had brought up the name of Gustavo, whose decision to leave the hotel had led to Owen checking out other chefs, including the one on their date. There was an awkward silence before he spoke.

"I am sorry," he said. "About dinner the other night. I knew I had promised that it was just going to be about us and not work. I was wrong to work when I said I wasn't going to do that."

"Okay," she said. "Apology accepted."

"What? That's all?" he said in surprise.

"Well, actually, I have had a couple of days to think about it. I was pretty angry at first but I have calmed down since then. I realized that I wouldn't have minded it as much if you had told me beforehand," she told him.

"Okay," he said. "I am so grateful." He was indeed grateful. He had been expecting a much more feisty reunion, given their past arguments.

"Well, there is another thing I need to talk about. It's about Ryan and me," Cristina said. "You have to understand that he is my best friend. To me, even though he is a guy, it's like talking to another girl. He understands me more than anybody else, even you. So when we share a bed, we just talk and maybe sometimes fall asleep next to each other. That's it. I don't want to give that up. He has been my best friend, since we were six years old. If nothing has happened between us in the last 15 years, then nothing is ever going to happen. It's not like we are ever going to be attracted to each other."

She gave him time to absorb that. He said, "Okay." She knew it was hard for him to say that.

"Finally," she said. "I think we have to make time for each other."

"I agree," he said. "We do."

"Then, I propose that every week, we make sure that we spend at least two nights together. Maybe expand to three nights if it is going well," she said. "And when we spend time together, nothing else is going to get in the way. Is there agreement on that?" He nodded because he had been thinking the same thing.

"Yes," he said. "I want us to work. I care very deeply for you."

"I care for you, too," she said. "A lot. Maybe more than I would like to admit." She grinned at him. He grinned back at her.

"So let's eat and get started on spending time together," he said. They ate their dinner and chatted without each of them making reference to work or school at all. It was good. It felt easy. It was one of the best times they had together.

After they cleared away the dishes, he wondered if she would like to stay the night. He wanted to hold her in his arms.

"Are you staying?" he asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, why do you think that I have that bag?" she said, pointing to a duffel bag she had dumped on the sofa.

"So you planned this," he said, laughing. She went to him and hugged him. It felt good to be in his arms again. She had missed that.

She reached up for his face and kissed him, deeply.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.**


	20. Chapter 20 Wisconsin bound

Cristina and Owen's agreement to make time for each other, was working out perfectly. They saw each other at least two times and sometimes three times a week, where they would concentrate on each other and not on work or school. On the days they didn't see each other, they spoke on the phone before they went to bed. That was the time they gave each other permission to talk about work or school. They both realized that since those two elements dominated the time that they were not each other, they could not avoid them completely. It was only when they were together in the flesh that neither work nor school played a part in their conversations.

Owen was happy. He was thriving in his job. He had finally got the hang of it. Yes, it was still tough but he felt more comfortable in his decision-making and his ability to handle day-to-day operations. He had learned to finally balance his work life and his personal life. His mother was right. No one ever died, wishing that they had spent more time in the office.

Cristina was happy. She was doing well at school. She had got straight A's on her assignments and she had aced her mid-terms. Her parents would be pleased about that. Finals were after Thanksgiving and she was totally ready for them. Life was good for the young couple.

* * *

Ryan and Cristina were both busy folding up their laundry in her bedroom. Ryan seemed unusually quiet so Cristina wondered what was going on with him.

"Ryan, are you and Jeremy having problems, again?" she asked, gently, in case he was upset.

"Um, no," he responded. "Things are going fine with us."

"Then, why so quiet?" she asked. "I thought something had happened between the two of you."

"I was just thinking that maybe, it was time that my parents met Jeremy," Ryan said. "I mean we've been on and off for the past few years and they have never met him. They know of him but they have never met him. I was wondering whether I should invite him back to Wisconsin to meet them for Thanksgiving."

"Wow, Ryan, that's a huge step. Meeting the parents is kind of an acknowledgement that he may be the one; that you're totally serious about him," Cristina said.

"Well, I am serious," Ryan said, a little indignantly. "That's why I want him to meet the parents. But you know, that's usually a really touchy subject."

"Don't get snippy with me, Ryan," she said. "And by the way, I think it will go fine. Your parents are cool. I mean they were very supportive, when you came out to them. They're not like my parents. I think that they will like Jeremy, too. Jeremy is a great guy."

"You think so?" Ryan said, a little unsure. "It will be the first time that I actually am bringing a guy home for them to meet. I mean I had other boyfriends before Jeremy but none of them, I thought, were serious enough for me to introduce them to the parents."

"I think you should," Cristina said. "Things have been going really well for you and Jeremy for the past few months. So, yes, I think you should ask him."

"Thanks, Cristina," Ryan said, feeling a little more secure in his decision. "So what about Owen? What is he doing for Thanksgiving? Are you going to ask him to Thanksgiving?"

Cristina stopped folding. "To be honest, I have thought about it but I am not sure what he is going to say."

"I know he is Scottish but does he really have plans for Thanksgiving? His family isn't here and you're the closest thing to family he has here," Ryan said. "I think you should ask him to Thanksgiving."

"I don't know," Cristina said. "Suppose he says no? That would just crush me."

"I think he would say yes because nobody wants to spend Thanksgiving alone, when everyone else is celebrating with their families. You should ask him," Ryan said.

"Oh, alright," she said. "I will expect the worst and hope for the best. That's all I can do."

* * *

On their next date night, they were having dinner at his apartment. Cristina preferred the at-home dates because she didn't have to dress up, all that much. The food was always good, since he brought them from the restaurant. Restaurant quality food at home, while dressed in comfy clothes, was always a bonus.

He looked very relaxed as he ate his steak. She thought it was an opportune time to bring up the topic.

"So, Owen, as you know Thanksgiving is coming up," she started. "It is a very important holiday in the US." He looked at her, with an amused expression on his face.

"Yes, I am totally aware of that. The restaurant is planning a Thanksgiving menu," he said. "It's a good one, too."

"Oh," she said. Maybe he wouldn't be interested in a home-cooked meal at the Yang household in Wisconsin if he can have a meal made by the chefs at the hotel restaurant. Her face fell a little and he could see it, immediately.

"What's up?" he asked. "Come on, tell me." She shook her head.

"Nothing," she said, using her fork to stab her loaded baked potato. He sighed. He reached over for her hand.

"Please tell me," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "You can tell me anything."

"Um, it's just that I was wondering if you would like to come to Wisconsin with me for Thanksgiving," she said. "But I see that you have that all planned with your restaurant doing Thanksgiving. Ryan was taking Jeremy and I was wondering if you would like to come, too." As he listened, he started to smile. The smile got even broader, as she finished.

"Yes," he said. "I may be Scottish and we don't celebrate the pilgrims celebrating their settlement in the new world but I do recognize that it is a family holiday. And if you want to invite me for Thanksgiving, it says a lot. Yes, Cristina Yang, I would love to go to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. When do we leave? I would have to make sure everything is in order at the hotel."

Cristina giggled. "It is going to be so much fun," she said. "Lot colder than Miami, of course. But you're used to that. We're leaving on the day before Thanksgiving – the Wednesday and we come back on Saturday."

"So it is a couple of days?" he said. "Great, just tell me your flights and I will book myself on it. Do I need to book a ticket for you?" She shook her head.

"Jeremy got three tickets for himself, Ryan and me. We're flying coach," Cristina said.

"Coach?" Owen repeated. He had not ever flown coach. He shuddered at the thought. He was just going to have to buck up and do it. "Just tell me your flight number." She told him and he immediately booked the flight. However, on that particular flight, there were no more coach seats and the only thing available was one first class seat. He was going to have to sit separately from them. That was a bummer.

* * *

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, when the four friends headed to the airport. Miami International Airport was in chaos, as to be expected on the day before Thanksgiving.

"Wow," Owen said. "There are indeed a lot of people here."

"Normal for the day before Thanksgiving," Jeremy said. None of them had any baggage to check, since they were just had carry-on luggage. They had already checked in online, so it was just to go through security. The security line was extremely long and they were getting anxious that they were going to miss their flight. When they finally got through security, it was a mad dash to the gate, where passengers were already boarding.

"Oh God, we made it just in time," Ryan said. "Hallelujah."

"You're not that religious, Ryan," Cristina said, poking him in the ribs.

"Ow," her best friend said. "Just an expression and if you were honest with yourself, totally appropriate for the situation." Cristina laughed.

Owen went into his first class seat, while the other three went down to their coach seats. Midway into the flight, Owen began to feel terribly lonely up in first class. He had read a magazine and had started reading a book on his IPad. He wondered what was going on with the three of them at the back of the plane. He got up and started making his way down to their seats. It seemed like they were almost to the back of the plane. When he got there, he found Jeremy doing a crossword puzzle in the in-flight magazine, while Cristina and Ryan were snuggled up against each other and fast asleep. Owen shook his head.

"They're always like that," Jeremy said, gesturing with his head to his boyfriend and his best friend.

"I can see that," Owen said. "They're so tight together; I sometimes feel that I am left out."

"Oh, I get that feeling, too," Jeremy said. "They've been best friends forever and ever, as Ryan keeps telling me."

"Cristina says the same thing. I have learned that I cannot get in between the two of them," Owen said. "I just came down to see how you guys were doing. A little bit lonely up in first class."

"Hey, I would change seats with you but they wouldn't allow us coach passengers up there in the rarefied air," Jeremy said, with a laugh. "Don't worry; I am taking great care of them. We will get there soon enough. Though I am a little nervous about meeting Ryan's parents."

"Yeah, me, too. I am nervous about meeting Cristina's parents," Owen said. "We have that in common. Suppose they don't like me. Trapped in a house for a couple of days with people who don't like you. That would be a nightmare."

"You are so right," Jeremy said, with a sigh. "I am going to hope for the best."

"Anyway, see you guys in a bit, When Cristina wakes up, tell her I was down here to check on her," Owen said. Jeremy nodded.

* * *

When they got to the airport in Milwaukee, the four of them stood waiting for the two set of parents. Ryan spotted his parents and ran to hug them. He introduced them to Jeremy and he was warmly welcomed by Ryan's parents. They waved goodbye to Cristina and Owen, who were still waiting for the Yangs.

"Well, that went well," Owen said. "Hope it goes just as well for me." His anxiety was building as each minute passed and there was no sign of the Yangs.

"I am going to call them," Cristina said. She spoke briefly to someone on the phone.

"Okay, they are parking the car," she said. "They should be here in five minutes." She let out a big breath. "Owen, there is something I have to tell you."

"Oh, that sounds ominous," he said. He surveyed her worried face.

"Now, don't get mad when I tell you this," she said. "Promise me this first."

"I know I am going to regret this but okay. I am not going to get mad," he said. She sighed.

"Owen, I never told my parents that I invited you for Thanksgiving. There was a reason for that," she said. She stared at her shoes, ashamed.

"WHAT?!" Owen replied, his voice was much louder than his usual tone.

"You said you weren't going to get mad," she said, pouting.

"But, Cristina, if I am going to stay in your parents' house, they should have known that I was coming," he said.

"I am sorry," she said, softly. "Oh no, they're here. Try and look decent."

"I don't even know how to respond to that last statement," Owen said, as he plastered a smile on his face. He could see the Yangs, moving swiftly towards them. They were both smaller people, as he had expected, given Cristina's size and height. Cristina ran to them and hugged them. Her father held her tight and said, "My baby girl."

Owen stood, quietly, waiting to be introduced. Cristina's mother gave him the once-over. He started feeling uncomfortable.

"Who is this young man?" Helen Yang asked her daughter. Cristina and Owen exchanged glances.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you do take the time to do so.**


	21. Chapter 21 Welcome to our Home

"This is Owen Hunt," Cristina said. "He's my boyfriend. I have brought him to meet you for Thanksgiving." Owen felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. He didn't know which one of those emotions he felt more. He stuck out his hand to shake Cristina's parents' hands.

"Owen, these are my parents, Sidney and Helen Yang," Cristina said. Both Yangs politely shook Owen's hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Hunt," Helen said.

"Likewise," Owen said. "But you can call me Owen."

"You can call me Mrs. Yang," Helen told him. Helen and Sidney had a verbal exchange in Korean. Of course, Owen didn't understand a word they were saying but Cristina did. So she joined in the conversation in Korean, too.

"Okay, fine," Sidney said, finally. "Is this all your luggage?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "So we can be on our way." Cristina and Owen followed her parents out of the terminal and into the parking lot to Cristina's parents' Volvo. Owen put both his and Cristina's luggage in the trunk of the car. They both settled down in the back seat, where they held hands.

"So, Owen," Sidney said. "Where are you from? That is certainly not an American accent."

"I was born in Scotland, sir. I lived there for a while and then, my mother moved my sister and me to London," Owen said. "I went to school in England, though."

"Ah," Helen said. "So what do you do? You look a bit older than Ryan and Cristina, so I assume you work."

"Yes, I manage the Hotel Lockhart in Miami," Owen said. Helen gasped.

"At your age? You must only be about 25, 26," Helen said. "That's rather young to be running a major establishment like the Hotel Lockhart."

"Well, yes, I am 25. Going to be 26 early next year," Owen said. The Yangs were very impressed that the young man's job. He must be very good at what he did to handle such enormous responsibility. Cristina smiled. She knew that would impress the folks. There was nothing they liked more than people who had ambition and worked to achieve their goals.

"So do you know about Thanksgiving?" Sidney asked.

"Well, yes, I am aware of the tradition and the turkey meal," Owen said. "In fact, we had a great Thanksgiving menu prepared for the holiday at our main restaurant at the hotel."

"And yet you chose to spend it with us, instead of your fine dining establishment," Helen said. "It will be just a homemade Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing fancy like what you would get at your restaurant."

"As much as I enjoy our chefs' cooking," Owen said. "Nothing will be able to beat the company at your house. Cristina is going to be there and I prefer being with Cristina more than anything else."

"Hmmm," both Helen and Sidney said in unison. There was little talk after that, until they finally got to their two-storey traditional house. There was a little bit of snow on the lawn but the front walkway to the house was clear. Sidney pulled into the driveway of the house.

"Ah, it seems that John has managed to get the walkway clear for us," Helen said. "He's a good boy."

"John is my older brother," Cristina said. "He and his wife Sharon and their two little girls are staying here, too."

"Oh, so it's a full house," Owen said. He badly wanted to get to their room, so he could have a chat with Cristina about why she had not informed her parents beforehand about him joining them for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Yes," Helen said. Owen took their suitcases out of the trunk and followed the Yangs to their front door and into the house.

"You can take the suitcases to Cristina's room," Helen said. "It's the last door on the right, when you get to the top of the stairs." Owen did as he was told but noticed that Cristina stayed downstairs with her parents in the living room.

He could hear that a very intense conversation in Korean was going on. He knew that they were talking about him. "Oh, Cristina, what have you done to me?" he thought. He really wanted his first meeting with the Yangs to be a good one and now, there was no way it could be. He had wanted to make a good first impression and now, he felt like an interloper in their family Thanksgiving.

As he was just about to open the door to Cristina's room, another bedroom door opened and a young man came out. This was Cristina's brother, he figured, judging from his age and how much he looked like her.

"Oh, hello," the young man said. He looked a bit surprised to see a stranger, opening the door to his sister's bedroom.

"Oh, hi," Owen said, as he opened the door and put the suitcases inside. He then came forward to introduce himself and shake the man's hand. "I am Owen Hunt. Cristina invited me here for Thanksgiving."

"Oh," the young man said with a huge smile. "I am John, Cristina's brother. I didn't know Cristina was bringing someone for the holidays. Good to meet you." This was certainly a friendlier greeting than what Owen had experienced from Cristina's parents. The smile could not be wiped from John's face as he surveyed the man with the strawberry blonde hair.

"Hmmm," John said. "This is the first time that Cristina has brought anyone for any family gathering. You must be very special."

"Really? First time?" Owen said, as a smile lit up his face. "She is very special to me, too."

"Are the folks giving you a hard time?" John said. "They can be hard on you, at first, but once they warm up to you, they're fine." Owen hoped that was the case because he really wanted the Yangs to like him. After all, he loved their daughter, even though he had never told her so.

Cristina came up the stairs, with the look of triumph on her face. Owen thought it was an odd expression, given that she had just engaged in a heated argument with her parents.

"Hey, John," she said, as she gave her brother a hug. "So you've met Owen."

"Yes, little sis," John said, enveloping her in his arms and giving her a kiss on her forehead. "I just met him. I am wondering how you managed to pull this one over the folks."

"With a lot of stealth and determination. And please, I remember you pulling off something like this before," Cristina said. The siblings laughed.

She took Owen's hand and took him to her room. She closed the door behind him. They both sat on the edge of the bed.

"Alright, now you have to come clean with me," Owen said. "Why didn't you tell your parents that I was coming? I really don't want to be in a place where I am not welcome. I would gladly find a hotel room in this town if they don't want me here."

"It's fine," Cristina said. "You can stay." She smiled.

"And it won't be a problem?" he asked, again.

She shook her head. "Nope, it won't be a problem," she said.

"Okay, then tell me, now, why didn't you tell your parents about me?" he asked. "I guess they didn't even know I existed, right?"

"Well, the reason I didn't tell them that you were coming was because they would have said no. They are very old school," she said. "I wanted you to come for Thanksgiving, so I just brought you, anyway. They would be forced to accept you because you were already there. And the one thing about my parents is that they are exceedingly polite and would never make waves to anyone outside of the family because it just wouldn't look good. I capitalized on that fact. I mean they could say mean things to me because I am their daughter but they won't do that to you."

She continued, "In answer to your other question, they knew I had a boyfriend but they didn't know who you were."

"So you're sure everything is going to be okay with me staying here, especially sharing a room with you?" he asked.

"Yup, they don't have a choice, really. My brother and his wife are occupying the guest room and their two girls are in my brother's old room. So there is nowhere else to accommodate you but in my room," she said.

"They could send me to a hotel, you know," he said, wondering whether he was in the middle of a battle of wills between Cristina and her parents.

"I told you that they never want to show a bad face to anyone outside of the family," she said. "It's going to be okay. Besides, you've already impressed enough with your ambition and your job. They really like that. They like a man, who has the means to provide for a family. Remember I told you – they're old school about things like that."

"Well, at least, I have that going for me," he said. "Is there any other way I can ingratiate myself with them?"

"Oh, that's easy. Just be helpful. Offer to help with the Thanksgiving preparations. Mom would love that. The more hands the better, she always says about preparing the big meals. Also, on the day after Thanksgiving, we start getting ready for Christmas by decorating the house. It is a whole major production. You can go with Dad and get a tree for the house. He would like that. My brother hates that because Dad is so picky and is a real pain in the ass. So you'll be the good boyfriend and go with my dad to pick out a tree. By the time we leave, they are going to so love you."

"I am glad that you are so confident," he said. She took his face into her small hands.

"I am sorry that I did it this way but if I had asked, they would have never agreed. I have to drag my parents kicking and screaming into the 21st century that things have changed, since their day. They have to recognize that I am old enough to have a boyfriend. I am legally an adult, now. John has always had it easier than me because he is a guy. But even when he brought Sharon home for the first time at Thanksgiving, he didn't tell them because he, too, knew that they would have never agreed. I just took a page from John's book and sprung it on them."

"I am sorry that I put you in an uncomfortable position," she said. "That part, I know, wasn't fair to you." She gently kissed him on the lips. Then, she nibbled on his lower lip and kissed him again. Their kissing became more ardent as they fell back on to the bed and feverishly started to take each other's clothes off.

When they were bare, they crawled under her covers and started to make love. They both felt an extra edge of excitement as they both knew that it seemed forbidden, even though they were both adults. Having parents in the house seemed to make it just a little bit taboo.

Owen climbed on top of her and thrust himself inside of her. "Oh, God, yes!" she shrieked. "You are magnificent."

"Shh," he said. "Not so loud. Even if I do love the compliment." He chuckled and she giggled even more. They were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice the two small knocks on the door, before it opened and Cristina's mom stepped inside. "I brought you some fresh towels," she said. As she saw them, she let the towels slip to the floor and her mouth dropped open. She froze for two seconds before she stepped out of the room and quickly closed the door.

"Oh my God," Owen and Cristina both said at the same time.

* * *

**A/N I am sorry that I have not updated this week. I was sick and the cold medicine had my brain all fogged up and drowsy, so I couldn't think. Anyway, please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


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